Red sorrel is in the family Polygonaceae. From Latin, 'poly' means many, and 'gonum' means knee. This refers to the many knee like joints on this and other plants in this family.
| Latin name: Rumex acetosella |
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| Family: Polygonaceae |
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| Common name: red sorrel |
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| Life cycle: perennial, spreading by seed
and creeping roots |
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Habit: foliage forms mounds 6 inches
tall and 12 inches wide, with flowers occurring on erect stalks. |
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Foliage: On basal leaves, each leaf has
two lobes near the base that make it distinctly arrow shaped. Upper
leaves are sometimes without lobes (or arrow shape) and are thus more linear.
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Flower: Flowers occur in terminal
panicles, and are orange to red. |
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Stem: A common characteristic of plants
in this family is the membranous sheath (called the ocrea) on the stems at
each node. Red sorrel is in the family Polygonaceae. From Latin, 'poly' means many, and 'gonum' means knee. This refers to the many knee like joints on this and other plants in this family. |