Rumex acetosella
Encyclopedia
Rumex acetosella is a species
of sorrel
, also known as Acetosella vulgaris Fourr, bearing the common names sheep's sorrel, red sorrel, sour weed, and field sorrel. The plant and its subspecies are common perennial
weed
s. It has green arrowhead-shaped leaves and red-tinted deeply ridged stems, and it sprouts from an aggressive rhizome
. The flowers emerge from a tall, upright stem. Female flowers are maroon
in color.
s and near marsh
es. It is often one of the first species to take hold in disturbed areas, such as abandoned mining
sites, especially if the soil is acid
ic. Livestock
will graze on the plant, but it is not very nutritious and contains oxalates
which make the plant toxic if grazed in large amounts.
R. acetosella is a host plant for Lycaena phlaeas, also known as the American Copper or Small Copper
butterfly.
s.
Sheep's sorrel is widely considered to be a noxious weed
, and one that is hard to control due to its spreading rhizome
. Blueberry
farmers are familiar with the weed, due to its ability to thrive in the same conditions under which blueberries are cultivated. It is commonly considered by farmers as an Indicator plant
of the need for liming
.
, oxalate
s (oxalic acid), anthraquinone
s (chrysophanol, emodin
, Rhein), glycoside
s like hyperoside
, the quercitin-3d-galactoside.
It has a number of purported uses and folk remedies
that include treatment for inflammation
, cancer
, diarrhea
, scurvy
and fever
. A tea made from the stem and leaves can be made to act as a diuretic
. It also has certain astringent
properties and uses. Other historical uses include that of a vermifuge
, as the plant allegedly contains compounds toxic to intestinal parasite
s (worms).
The entire plant, including the root, is used as a cancer treatment, and is a primary ingredient in a preparation commonly referred to by the name Essiac
.
Soil Conservation Service undertook an extensive program of rehabilitation of the vegetation of the Carruthers Peak
–Mount Twynam
area, which was in sore need of help after a century of grazing. They tried various methods using bitumen, wire netting and bales of straw, however none were very successful. However, Sheep Sorrel was present in the bales of straw, and in fact helped to hold the soil for recolonisation by the native vegetation.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of sorrel
Rumex
The docks and sorrels, genus Rumex L., are a genus of about 200 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbs in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae....
, also known as Acetosella vulgaris Fourr, bearing the common names sheep's sorrel, red sorrel, sour weed, and field sorrel. The plant and its subspecies are common perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
s. It has green arrowhead-shaped leaves and red-tinted deeply ridged stems, and it sprouts from an aggressive rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
. The flowers emerge from a tall, upright stem. Female flowers are maroon
Maroon (color)
Maroon is a dark red color.-Etymology:Maroon is derived from French marron .The first recorded use of maroon as a color name in English was in 1789.-Maroon :...
in color.
Growth
The plant is native to Eurasia but has been introduced to most of the rest of the northern hemisphere although Stace (1992) has informed that it is native to the British Isles. In North America it is a common weed in fields, grasslands, and woodlands. It favors moist soil, so it thrives in floodplainFloodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
s and near marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es. It is often one of the first species to take hold in disturbed areas, such as abandoned mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
sites, especially if the soil is acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
ic. Livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
will graze on the plant, but it is not very nutritious and contains oxalates
Oxalic acid
Oxalic acid is an organic compound with the formula H2C2O4. This colourless solid is a dicarboxylic acid. In terms of acid strength, it is about 3,000 times stronger than acetic acid. Oxalic acid is a reducing agent and its conjugate base, known as oxalate , is a chelating agent for metal cations...
which make the plant toxic if grazed in large amounts.
R. acetosella is a host plant for Lycaena phlaeas, also known as the American Copper or Small Copper
Small Copper
The Small Copper, American Copper, or the Common Copper is a butterfly of the Lycaenids or gossamer-winged butterfly family.- Description :thumb|left|Larva...
butterfly.
Characteristics
R. acetosella is a perennial herb that has an upright stem that is slender and reddish in color, and branched at top, reaching a height of 18 inches (0.5 meters). The arrow-shaped leaves are simple, slightly more than 1 inch (3 cm) in length, and smooth with a pair of horizontal lobes at base. Flowers from March to November, when yellowish-green flowers (male) or reddish (female) flowers develop on separate plants, at the apex of the stem. Fruits are red acheneAchene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
s.
Sheep's sorrel is widely considered to be a noxious weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
, and one that is hard to control due to its spreading rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
. Blueberry
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
farmers are familiar with the weed, due to its ability to thrive in the same conditions under which blueberries are cultivated. It is commonly considered by farmers as an Indicator plant
Indicator plant
- Definition :Since a plant species or plant community acts as a measure of environmental conditions, it is referred to as biological indicators/bioindicators/phytoindicators...
of the need for liming
Agricultural lime
Agricultural lime, also called aglime, agricultural limestone, garden lime or liming, is a soil additive made from pulverized limestone or chalk. The primary active component is calcium carbonate...
.
Culinary uses
There are several uses of sheep sorrel in the preparation of food including a garnish, a tart flavoring agent, a salad green, and a curdling agent for cheese. The leaves have a lemony, tangy or nicely tart flavor.Medicinal uses
Sheep Sorrel contains constituents including beta carotene, tartaric acidTartaric acid
Tartaric acid is a white crystalline diprotic organic acid. It occurs naturally in many plants, particularly grapes, bananas, and tamarinds; is commonly combined with baking soda to function as a leavening agent in recipes, and is one of the main acids found in wine. It is added to other foods to...
, oxalate
Oxalate
Oxalate , is the dianion with formula C2O42− also written 22−. Either name is often used for derivatives, such as disodium oxalate, 2C2O42−, or an ester of oxalic acid Oxalate (IUPAC: ethanedioate), is the dianion with formula C2O42− also written (COO)22−. Either...
s (oxalic acid), anthraquinone
Anthraquinone
Anthraquinone, also called anthracenedione or dioxoanthracene is an aromatic organic compound with formula . Several isomers are possible, each of which can be viewed as a quinone derivative...
s (chrysophanol, emodin
Emodin
Emodin is a purgative resin, 6-methyl-1,3,8-trihydroxyanthraquinone, from rhubarb, the buckthorn and Japanese Knotweed...
, Rhein), glycoside
Glycoside
In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to a non-carbohydrate moiety, usually a small organic molecule. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. These can be activated by enzyme...
s like hyperoside
Hyperoside
Hyperoside is a chemical compound. It is the 3-O-galactoside of quercetin. It is a medicinally active compound that can be isolated from Drosera rotundifolia, from the Stachys plant, from Prunella vulgaris, from Rumex acetosella, Cuscuta Chinensis seeds and from St John's wort.In Rheum nobile and R...
, the quercitin-3d-galactoside.
It has a number of purported uses and folk remedies
Home remedy
A home remedy is a treatment to cure a disease or ailment that employs certain spices, vegetables, or other common items. Home remedies may or may not have medicinal properties that treat or cure the disease or ailment in question, as they are typically passed along by laypersons...
that include treatment for inflammation
Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
, cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, diarrhea
Diarrhea
Diarrhea , also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide. The loss of fluids through diarrhea can cause dehydration and...
, scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
and fever
Fever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
. A tea made from the stem and leaves can be made to act as a diuretic
Diuretic
A diuretic provides a means of forced diuresis which elevates the rate of urination. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics increase the excretion of water from bodies, although each class does so in a distinct way.- Medical uses :...
. It also has certain astringent
Astringent
An astringent substance is a chemical compound that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues, usually locally after topical medicinal application. The word "astringent" derives from Latin adstringere, meaning "to bind fast"...
properties and uses. Other historical uses include that of a vermifuge
Anthelmintic
Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are drugs that expel parasitic worms from the body, by either stunning or killing them. They may also be called vermifuges or vermicides .-Pharmaceutical classes:...
, as the plant allegedly contains compounds toxic to intestinal parasite
Intestinal parasite
Intestinal parasites are parasites that populate the gastro-intestinal tract in humans and other animals. They can live throughout the body, but most prefer the intestinal wall. Means of exposure include: ingestion of undercooked meat, drinking infected water, and skin absorption...
s (worms).
The entire plant, including the root, is used as a cancer treatment, and is a primary ingredient in a preparation commonly referred to by the name Essiac
Essiac
Essiac or Essiac Tea, marketed as Flor Essence, is a blend of herbs promoted as an alternative treatment for cancer and other illnesses. As with many alternative remedies, the exact composition of essiac is unclear, but it reportedly contains burdock, Indian rhubarb, sheep sorrel, and slippery elm...
.
Revegetation in the Australian Alps
From the 1950s, the New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Soil Conservation Service undertook an extensive program of rehabilitation of the vegetation of the Carruthers Peak
Carruthers Peak
Carruthers Peak is a mountain in the Snowy Mountains between Mount Lee and Mount Twynam. It was named after NSW Premier Joseph Carruthers, who facilitated the building of the Summit Road to Mount Kosciuszko. It can be easily accessed, with the Main Range walk going straight up it.The area around it...
–Mount Twynam
Mount Twynam
Mount Twynam is the third-highest mountain on mainland Australia. It is located in the Snowy Mountains on the Main Range, north-west of Mount Kosciuszko. It is large but unimposing, and has good and far-reaching views over Blue Lake Cirque and the Western Falls...
area, which was in sore need of help after a century of grazing. They tried various methods using bitumen, wire netting and bales of straw, however none were very successful. However, Sheep Sorrel was present in the bales of straw, and in fact helped to hold the soil for recolonisation by the native vegetation.