Plant Details

Rumex acetosa

Sorrels

Back

Explore the size, hardiness, soil, light, edible uses and harvest period of Rumex acetosa.

Use this plant

Log in to add this plant to your recipes.

Log in

Common names

56 names · 38 languages
EnglishYour language
  • Common Sorrel[1]
  • Sorrels
  • Túnsúra[1]
Other languages (37)
Dutch
  • Veldzuring[1]
French
  • Grande oseille[1]
  • Oseille
  • Oseille commune[1]
Asturian
Belarusian
  • Шчаўе кіслае або звычайнае[1]
Bulgarian
  • Киселец[1]
Catalan
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Croatian
  • Velika kiselica[1]
Czech
  • šťovík kyselý[1]
Danish
  • Almindelig syre[1]
Estonian
  • hapu oblikas[1]
Faroese
Finnish
  • niittysuolaheinä[1]
Galician
  • Aceda común[1]
German
  • Wiesen-Sauerampfer[1]
Greek
  • Αγριολάπαθος[1]
  • Νερολαπάθα[1]
  • Ξινήθρα[1]
+3 more namesShow fewer names
  • Ξινολάπαθο[1]
  • Οξυλίδι[1]
  • Σιδερολάπαθα[1]
Hungarian
  • kerti sóska[1]
  • mezei sóska[1]
  • réti sóska[1]
+1 more nameShow fewer names
Icelandic
Irish
  • Samhadh bó[1]
Italian
  • romice acetosa[1]
Japanese
Korean
Laadan
Latvian
  • Pļavas skābene[1]
Lithuanian
  • Valgomoji rūgštynė[1]
Mongolian
  • Бага хурганчих[1]
Norwegian
Polish
  • Szczaw zwyczajny[1]
Portuguese
Russian
  • Щавель кислый[1]
Slovak
  • štiav kyslý[1]
Slovenian
  • navadna kislica[1]
Spanish
  • Acedera común[1]
Swedish
Turkish
  • kuzukulağı[1]
Ukrainian
  • Щавель кислий[1]
Sources & name notes (1)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Rumex acetosa — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • Veldzuring — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Common Sorrel — results[0].names[2]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Oseille commune — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Grande oseille — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • スイバ — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • niittysuolaheinä — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • 수영 — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Acedera común — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Wiesen-Sauerampfer — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • šťovík kyselý — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • 酸模 — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Almindelig syre — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Щавель кислый — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • engsyre — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Szczaw zwyczajny — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • agrina — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Valgomoji rūgštynė — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • vinagreira — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • ängssyra — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • hapu oblikas — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Ξινολάπαθο — results[0].names[22]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Σιδερολάπαθα — results[0].names[23]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Νερολαπάθα — results[0].names[24]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Ξινήθρα — results[0].names[25]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Οξυλίδι — results[0].names[26]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Αγριολάπαθος — results[0].names[27]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • thezh — results[0].names[28]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • kuzukulağı — results[0].names[29]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Бага хурганчих — results[0].names[30]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • navadna kislica — results[0].names[31]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • 酸模 — results[0].names[32]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • 野菠菜 — results[0].names[33]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • sýra — results[0].names[34]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • sýruleggur — results[0].names[35]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • leggsýra — results[0].names[36]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Щавель кислий — results[0].names[37]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • romice acetosa — results[0].names[38]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Шчаўе кіслае або звычайнае — results[0].names[39]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • mezei sóska — results[0].names[40]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • réti sóska — results[0].names[41]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • kerti sóska — results[0].names[42]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • sóska — results[0].names[43]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Pļavas skābene — results[0].names[44]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • azedas-bravas — results[0].names[45]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • alazão — results[0].names[46]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Túnsúra — results[0].names[47]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Samhadh bó — results[0].names[48]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • 酸葉 — results[0].names[49]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Velika kiselica — results[0].names[50]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Agrella — results[0].names[51]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • štiav kyslý — results[0].names[52]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Aceda común — results[0].names[53]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Киселец — results[0].names[54]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.
  • Túnsúra — results[0].names[55]; taxon id 55821; Rumex acetosa.

General information

Scientific name: Rumex acetosa
Accepted name (Kew): Rumex acetosa L. View name reference ↗

Accepted in the cited Kew taxonomic treatment.

Sources [1] [2]
Botanical family: Polygonaceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Rumex (WCVP v16).

Sources [1]
Also known as: Sorrels
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Herbaceous
Catalogue size class: Small
Height: 0.60 m
Spread: 0.30 m
Growth rate: None
Foliage: None

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 3-6
Soil moisture:
Moist
Soil:
Sand (light) Loam (medium) Clay (heavy)
pH:
Acidic Neutral Alkaline
Light:
Partial shade, Full sun

Uses

Edible parts:
Leaves, Root, Flowers, Seed
Edibility rating:
(5)
Medicinal rating:
(3)
Functions:
Dye, Bee forage, Carbon farming

Description

Leaves: The leaves have a refreshing, lemon-like taste and can be eaten raw or added to salads or soups. They can also be dried and are available year-round, especially in winter during mild weather or with a bit of protection. Be mindful of the amount of leaves you consume. Flowers: The flowers can be cooked as a vegetable or used as a garnish. Root: The roots are tasty when cooked. They can be dried, ground into powder, and then used to make noodles. Seed: The seeds can be eaten raw or cooked. Grind the seeds into powder and mix them with other flours to make bread. Harvesting seeds is straightforward.

Harvest

Harvest starts: 01/05
Harvest ends: 31/10

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: Botanical familyTaxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 152936; name ID 2425606; Rumex L.. Family column.
    • Taxonomy: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 154820; name ID 2424198; Rumex acetosa L..

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.

  2. Catalogue of Life Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Rumex acetosa

    Taxonomic data from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20.

    Supports: Taxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Taxonomy: COL 2026-08-20, NameUsage.tsv line 1162692, ID 4TPGJ: Rumex acetosa L. (accepted).

    Source checked on .