View source for Sorrel

{{Short description|Flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae}}
{{About|common sorrel|the "sorrel of the Caribbean"|Roselle (plant)|other uses}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2013}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Sorrel
| image = (MHNT) Rumex acetosa - Habit.jpg
| image_caption = Plant habit, [[Muséum de Toulouse]]
| genus = Rumex
| species = acetosa
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| synonyms = {{Plainlist | style = margin-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; |
*''Acetosa agrestis'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Acetosa amplexicaulis'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Acetosa angustata'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Acetosa bidentula'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Acetosa fontanopaludosa'' <small>(Kalela) Holub</small>
*''Acetosa hastifolia'' <small>Schur</small>
*''Acetosa hastulata'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Acetosa magna'' <small>Gilib.</small>
*''Acetosa officinalis'' <small>Gueldenst. ex Ledeb.</small>
*''Acetosa olitoria'' <small>Raf.</small>
*''Acetosa pratensis'' <small>Garsault</small> nom. inval.
*''Acetosa pratensis'' <small>Mill.</small>
*''Acetosa subalpina'' <small>Schur</small>
*''Rumex biformis'' <small>Lange</small>
*''Rumex fontanopaludosus'' <small>Kalela</small>
}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref>{{citation
|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2424198
|title=The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species|website=Theplantlist.org
|access-date=10 May 2016}}</ref>
}}
'''Sorrel''' ('''''Rumex acetosa'''''), also called '''common sorrel''' or '''garden sorrel''', is a [[perennial]] [[herbaceous plant]] in the family [[Polygonaceae]]. Other names for sorrel include '''spinach dock''' and '''narrow-leaved dock''' ("dock" being a common name for the genus ''[[Rumex]]'').<ref name=Stace/>
Sorrel is native to Eurasia and a common plant in [[grassland]] habitats. It is often cultivated as a [[leaf vegetable]] or [[herb]].
==Description==
Sorrel is a slender herbaceous perennial [[plant]] about {{convert|60|cm|in|0|abbr=off}} high, with roots that run deep into the ground, as well as juicy stems and arrow-shaped ([[sagittate]]) [[leaves]] which grow from a [[Rosette (botany)|rosette]].<ref name=Lyle>{{Cite book|last=Lyle|first=Katie Letcher|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/560560606|title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: How to Find, Identify, and Cook Them|publisher=[[FalconGuides]]|year=2010|isbn=978-1-59921-887-8|edition=2nd|location=Guilford, CN|pages=29–30|oclc=560560606|orig-year=2004}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The lower leaves are {{convert|7|to|15|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} in length with long [[Petiole (botany)|petiole]]s and a membranous [[ocrea]] formed of fused, sheathing stipules. The upper leaves are [[Sessility (botany)|sessile]], (growing directly from the stem without a petiole) and frequently become crimson. It has whorled spikes of reddish-green [[flower]]s, which bloom in early summer, becoming purplish.<ref name=Blamey>{{cite book|last1=Blamey|first1=M.|last2=Fitter|first2=R.|last3=Fitter|first3=A|year=2003|title=Wild flowers of Britain and Ireland: The Complete Guide to the British and Irish Flora.|publisher=A & C Black|location=London|isbn=978-1408179505|page=64}}</ref><ref name=Stace>{{cite book|last=Stace|first=C. A.|author-link = Stace, C. A.|year=2010|title=New Flora of the British Isles|edition=Third|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location = Cambridge, U.K.| page=446|isbn=9780521707725}}</ref> The species is [[dioecious]], with [[stamen]]s and [[pistil]]s on different plants.<ref name=Stace/>
{{gallery|mode=
|ترشک در آبپخش.jpg|Sorrel plant in [[Ab&nbsp;Pakhsh]]
|Oseille pied.JPG|Leaves
|20140420Rumex acetosa2.jpg|Buds
|Rumex acetosa - Hapu oblikas.jpg|Flowers
|Rumex acetosa (subsp. acetosa) sl39.jpg|Close-up of subsp. ''acetosa'' flowers
|Rumex acetosa (subsp. acetosa) sl41.jpg|Close-up of subsp. ''acetosa'' nuts
}}
==Subspecies==
Several [[subspecies]] have been named.<ref name=Stace/> Not all are cultivated.
* ''Rumex acetosa'' subsp. ''acetosa''
* ''Rumex acetosa'' subsp. ''ambiguus''
* ''Rumex acetosa'' subsp. ''arifolius''
* ''Rumex acetosa'' subsp. ''hibernicus''
* ''Rumex acetosa'' subsp. ''hirtulus''
* ''Rumex acetosa'' subsp. ''vinealis''
==Distribution and habitat==
''Rumex acetosa'' occurs in grassland habitats throughout [[Europe]] from the northern [[Mediterranean]] coast to the north of [[Scandinavia]] and in parts of [[Central Asia]]. It occurs as an introduced species in parts of New Zealand, Australia, and North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/polygona/rumex/rumeacev.jpg|format=JPG|title=Global spread map|website=Linnaeus.nrm.se|access-date=23 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816021844/http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/polygona/rumex/rumeacev.jpg|archive-date=August 16, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> It can grow in poor soil.<ref name=Lyle/>
==Pests==
The leaves are eaten by the [[larva]]e of several species of [[Lepidoptera]] ([[butterfly]] and [[moth]]) including the [[blood-vein]] moth, [[aphid]]s and by non-specialized snails and slugs.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Korpelainen |first1=Helena |last2=Pietiläinen |first2=Maria |date=December 2020 |title=Sorrel (Rumex acetosa L.): Not Only a Weed but a Promising Vegetable and Medicinal Plant |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12229-020-09225-z |journal=The Botanical Review |language=en |volume=86 |issue=3–4 |pages=241 |doi=10.1007/s12229-020-09225-z |s2cid=221110563 |issn=0006-8101|hdl=10138/326558 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
==Uses==
[[File:Sorrel soup with egg and croutons (Zupa szczawiowa z jajkiem i grzankami).jpg|thumb|[[Sorrel soup]] with egg and croutons, part of [[Polish cuisine]]]]
Common sorrel has been cultivated for centuries. The leaves are edible when young but toughen with age; they may be puréed in [[soup]]s and [[sauce]]s or added to [[salad]].<ref name=Lyle/> The plant has a distinct sharp, sour taste.
In [[India]], the leaves are used in soups or [[Curry|curries]] made with yellow [[Lentil|lentils]] and peanuts. In [[Afghanistan]], the leaves are coated in a wet batter and [[Deep frying|deep fried]], then served as an appetizer or if in season during [[Ramadan]], for [[Iftar|breaking the fast]]. In [[Armenia]], the leaves are collected in spring, woven into braids, and dried for use during winter. The most common preparation is ''aveluk'' soup, where the leaves are rehydrated and rinsed to reduce bitterness, then stewed with onions, potatoes, walnuts, garlic and bulgur wheat or lentils, and sometimes [[Sour plum|sour plums]].
Throughout [[eastern Europe]], wild or garden sorrel is used to make sour soups, stewed with vegetables or herbs, meat or eggs. In rural Greece, it is used with [[spinach]], [[leek]]s, and [[chard]] in [[spanakopita]].
"''Escalope de saumon à l'oseille''" ([[salmon]] [[escalope]] in sorrel sauce), invented in 1962 by the [[Troisgros]] brothers, is an emblematic dish of French [[nouvelle cuisine]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/12/garden/great-cooks-finesse-times-two.html|title=GREAT COOKS; Finesse Times Two|last1=Miller|first1=Bryan|date=1995-07-12|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-05-05|last2=Franey|first2=Pierre|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.thepollacks.com/recipes/SalmonandSorrelTroisgros.htm|title=Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook|last1=Boulud|first1=Daniel|last2=Greenspan|first2=Dorie|publisher=Scribner|year=1999|isbn=978-0684863436}}</ref> [[French cuisine]] traditionally cooks fish with sorrel because its acidity dissolves thin [[fish bone]]s.<ref>{{cite book|title=Le Règne végétal|publisher=Librairie des sciences naturelles|date=1864|page=480}}</ref>
In the [[Caribbean]], "sorrel" is a type of sweet [[hibiscus tea]] commonly made from the [[Roselle (plant)|roselle]] flower,<ref>[https://www.caribbeanandco.com/sorrel-drink-a-caribbean-favorite-during-the-christmas-season/ Sorrel Drink, A Caribbean Favorite During The Christmas Season]</ref> but this plant from [[Western Africa]] is actually a form of [[hibiscus]] unrelated to the Eurasian sorrel herb.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/a-hibiscus-drink-that-by-any-of-its-names-is-sweet/2017/05/09/db3cc014-250a-11e7-b503-9d616bd5a305_story.html A hibiscus drink, by any of its names, is sweet]</ref>
==See also==
* [[Wood sorrel]] (''Oxalis''), an unrelated genus.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Rumex acetosa|''Rumex acetosa''}}
* {{PFAF|Rumex acetosa}}
{{Herbs & spices}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q26297}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Rumex]]
[[Category:Herbs]]
[[Category:Sour foods]]
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:Perennial vegetables]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Caribbean cuisine]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Ukrainian cuisine]]
[[Category:Polish cuisine]]
[[Category:Dioecious plants]]
[[Category:Russian cuisine]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]