Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Rumex acetosella
Common name
Sorrel, Sheep sorrel
Family
Polygonaceae
Where found
Woodland, heath and shrubland, grassy areas, roadsides, disturbed sites, and wetlands. Widespread.
Notes
Introduced perennial climber, stems up to 5m long, rhizomatous. The stems arise each year from an underground tuber. Stems and leaves somewhat fleshy. Stems hairless, ribbed. Leaves alternating up the stems, 2-10 cm long, 10-70 mm wide, bases usually with pointed lobes, a sheath at the base of the stalk. Flowers usually bisexual, occasionally female. Flowers small, greenish, with 3 'sepals' about 1 mm long, and 3 'petals' about 1 mm long, in large clusters. Seed cases pink or with a purplish tinge, often mistaken for flowers, turning light brown to straw-coloured as they dry out. Flowers Spring to Autumn.
Was Acetosella vulgaris.
PlantNET description: https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Rumex~acetosella (accessed 18 March 2021)
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