Rumex acetosella Seeds | Sheep’s Sorrel
LATIN NAME: Rumex acetosella
COMMON NAME: Sheep’s Sorrel, Red Sorrel, Field Sorrel
Plant Profile
A distinctive member of its genus, Sheep’s Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) is a low, spreading perennial. Sheep’s sorrel is a little plant with a sharp, lemony taste, and it has been gathered for its tangy leaves for centuries. Native to Eurasia, including the British Isles, it has spread across much of world, and though gardeners have often wished it away, it has its own quiet virtues and a place in old traditions of the countryside. At maturity it stands about Forty centimetres. The flowers pull in pollinating insects, which quietly widens its usefulness in the garden. For the gardener, the sum of these traits is a plant that is easy to live with.
Science & Biotechnology
Like other members of the Rumex group, Rumex acetosella draws steady attention from botanists and plant breeders, who value the genus both as a subject of research and as a source of garden-worthy material. Sheeps sorrel has a genuine and interesting place in both botanical and ecological research. Modern propagation practice has made this species straightforward to raise by ordinary good methods.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Sheep’s Sorrel earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Ecologically, sheeps sorrel is a generous plant of poor ground. Its small, reddish flowers feed insects, its seeds feed small birds, and its quick, spreading growth covers and holds soil on acid, sandy ground where it grows. Its economic value lies mainly in its traditional use as a food. Beyond the establishment year, its needs are simple and few.
Docks and sorrels are lemony, vitamin-C-rich spring greens, and yellow dock root is a classical Western herbal alterative for skin and digestion, rich in iron-repute and anthraquinones.
Growing from Seed
Starting Sheep’s Sorrel from seed is simple and satisfying. Sow the seed evenly over the surface and cover lightly, using a loose, well-drained seed compost, and keep it just moist in bright light until the seedlings are well up. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
Its role in herbal practice, noted above, adds depth to an already garden-worthy plant. Sheep’s Sorrel, Red Sorrel, Field Sorrel has real presence in the garden without demanding much in return. Start with fresh seed, keep it evenly moist, and the plant does the rest itself.
Related Reading
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