Sorrels are really just small species of dock and there is no clear, botanical difference between them. Sorrels do tend to have their flowers less clustered or whorled and often carried singly along the branches of the flower spikes.
Are dock leaves the same as sorrel?
Dock is closely related to the delicious herb, sorrel (Rumex acetosa). Both have reddish stems, broad green leaves and spires of flowers/seeds which turn red as they mature. Sadly it lacks sorrel’s delicious tangy taste. Habit: A perennial with a deep taproot.
What are dock leaves called?
Rumex obtusifolius, commonly known as bitter dock, broad-leaved dock, bluntleaf dock, dock leaf or butter dock, is a perennial plant in the family Polygonaceae.
What can sorrel be confused with?
Bindweed can often be mistaken for Common Sorrel, as it grows in the same habitat with a similar leaf-shape. The easiest way to tell these two apart is that sorrel grows in a rosette and bindweed is a trailing plant.
What does sorrel dock look like?
At a glance, the sorrels have noticably arrow-shaped leaves. Their leaves are smaller and more narrow than most other docks found here. Common sorrel has downward-pointing basal lobes that always taper to a point.
Are there different types of sorrel?
There are three major varieties to know: broad leaf, French, and red-veined sorrel. Broad leaf sorrel has slender, arrow-shaped leaves. French or Buckler leaf sorrel has small, bell-shaped leaves, while red-veined sorrel has a slender, tapered leaf with the namesake screaming red veins throughout.
What is sorrel leaf?
Sorrel is a leafy green plant, use alternately as an herb and a vegetable, with a distinctive sour, lemony flavor. It’s from the knotweed family, or Polygonaceae, the same botanical family as buckwheat and rhubarb. It also goes by the name “dock.”
What is dock leaf good for?
Herbal Medicine Uses of Dock
The juice from the leaves can be applied as a compress to heal bruises. The seeds have been used to treat coughs, colds and bronchitis, and the roots used as a remedy for jaundice, liver problems, skin ailments, boils, rheumatism, constipation and diarrhoea.
What kind of plant is dock?
perennial plants
Docks are perennial plants growing from taproots, and they are most often found in neglected, disturbed ground like open fields and along roadsides. While docks may be happiest and tastiest when they grow with plenty of moisture, the taproot indicates they are drought-tolerant plants.
Are dock leaves poisonous to humans?
Bitter dock is technically toxic to humans but will generally only cause problems if consumed in large quantities. People with rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones, or hyperacidity are more prone than others to negative effects from bitter dock. Please do not eat this plant.
What is another name for sorrel?
spinach dock
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).
Is Hibiscus a sorrel?
In the Caribbean, the popular terms are hibiscus or sorrel, as it is made from the hibiscus sabdariffa flower. The plant is native to India, but can grow as an annual in all climates. The fleshy, red calyxes that surround the base of the flowers are what we brew to make sorrel, the drink.
Which sorrel is edible?
All parts of wood sorrel are edible including leaves, flowers, seed pods, and roots. What is this? Wood sorrel has a long known history of culinary use in ancient cultures.
How do you identify sorrel?
The leaves can be long and arrow shaped or when young, shorter and more rounded but at the base of the leaf it always has pointed ‘tails’ which is a key identifying feature of this plant. The leaves have a shiny appearance and are usually green but can develop red features.
Can you eat sorrel leaves?
You can also use raw sorrel leaves like you would an herb: chopped up and added to legumes or eggs, or as an addition to yogurt or sour cream as a refreshing, lemony dip. Cooking reduces sorrel’s oxalic acid content, and it also makes the leaves soft and rich and delicious, like really good spinach.
How do I identify my dock leaves?
How to identify docks? Dock plants form rosettes of large oval green leaves with distinct midribs. Broadleaf dock leaves are flat, while curled dock has curly-edged leaves. Because of its traditional use on nettle stings, the dock leaf is generally well-recognised.
Can you eat common sorrel?
Use as a food Common Sorrel has a very sharp citrus taste, due to its oxalic acid content (see Hazards). Its leaves and flowers are used raw in salads, or can be used to replace lemon or lime in dishes requiring and acidic zing. The root can be made into noodles, by first drying and grinding into a powder.
Why is my sorrel bitter?
Oxalic acid is responsible for giving red veined sorrel a bitter lemon flavor and in large quantities can cause mineral deficiencies, specifically calcium. Oxalic acid is minimized when cooked. It is suggested that people with pre-existing conditions avoid ingesting.
What does the plant sorrel look like?
Sorrel is a leafy green vegetable grown for its pleasantly tart, lemony flavor. The plants have smooth to crinkled, arrow-shaped leaves that grow from a center rosette. The plant will send up a tall flower stalk as the temperature warms, but it’s best to remove this to promote leaf growth for a better harvest.
What herb is like sorrel?
Alternatives. Try endive, spinach or rocket.
Is sorrel poisonous?
The sorrel plant is toxic, and it is important to know the alternate names for the same plant. Alternate names for the sorrel plant include: Oxalis. Purple shamrock.