Common sorrel

Rumex acetosa

When: Typically March – June — March, April, May, June. Earlier in warm, low country; later in the hills.
Where it grows: Meadows, pastures, road verges, woodland edges and upland grassland — common almost everywhere in Europe.
How to know it: Arrow-shaped leaves whose two base lobes point straight back, a thin papery sheath where each leaf meets the stem, and a sharp lemon-sour taste. In early summer, slender spikes of tiny reddish flowers up to 60 cm (2 ft) tall.
Look-alikes: Young lords-and-ladies leaves are arrow-shaped too and come up in the same hedge banks. They are glossier, with wavy edges, a net of veins and often dark spots, and they burn the mouth at once. Sheep sorrel is a smaller, edible cousin.
Harvest and use: Young leaves in salad, sorrel soup, and the classic sharp sauce for salmon and other fish. Cook only briefly — it turns khaki and melts.
Caution: High in oxalic acid: a herb and a sauce, not a daily salad bowl, and best avoided by anyone prone to kidney stones.

Common sorrel at a glance

Also called: Sorrel, sour dock, meadow sorrel, sour ducks; oseille (France), Sauerampfer (Germany), szczaw (Poland)
Family: Polygonaceae (dock family)
Where it grows: Grassland throughout Europe, from the northern Mediterranean coast to the north of Scandinavia, and on into Central Asia — meadows, verges, woodland edges, heath and moorland; commonest in the cool, damp north and west and scarce in the hot Mediterranean lowlands. Introduced in North America, Australia and New Zealand.
When to pick: Leaves come up early in spring and are best young, before the reddish flower spikes rise in May and June; they toughen with age. Plants cut back by mowing or haymaking send up fresh leaves again.
Parts used: Young leaves and shoots, raw or briefly cooked. Older leaves are tough and even more sour.
Is any of it poisonous?: Like all sorrels it is high in oxalic acid. A normal helping in a soup or sauce is fine; large, frequent amounts are not, especially for anyone prone to kidney stones.

Questions people ask about common sorrel

What does sorrel taste like?

Sharply lemony and sour — the old country names are ‘sour ducks’ and ‘vinegar plant’. The tartness comes from oxalic acid.

How do you tell sorrel from lords-and-ladies?

Both have arrow-shaped leaves. Sorrel’s are matt, with two base lobes pointing straight back and a papery sheath where the leaf meets the stem. Lords-and-ladies leaves are glossy, wavy-edged, net-veined and often dark-spotted, and they burn the mouth at once. Learn the leaf by eye; don’t taste-test.

Is sorrel the same as wood sorrel?

No. Wood sorrel (Oxalis) is an unrelated, clover-like little plant; it shares the sour taste because it shares the oxalic acid.

Why is sorrel served with fish?

Its sharpness cuts rich fish, and French cooks have long paired the two — salmon with sorrel sauce, created by the Troisgros brothers in 1962, became an emblem of nouvelle cuisine.

Found in these regions

Hardiness zones 3–9.

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Checked against these sources · last reviewed October 2026

Seasons are typical for the middle of the range and move by weeks north and south, and up and down hills.

Educational information only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom identified from a single photograph or description — confirm with a regional field guide or an experienced forager, and know the poisonous species in your area first.

Common sorrel

Rumex acetosa

When

Typically March – June — March, April, May, June. Earlier in warm, low country; later in the hills.

Where it grows

Meadows, pastures, road verges, woodland edges and upland grassland — common almost everywhere in Europe.

How to know it

Arrow-shaped leaves whose two base lobes point straight back, a thin papery sheath where each leaf meets the stem, and a sharp lemon-sour taste. In early summer, slender spikes of tiny reddish flowers up to 60 cm (2 ft) tall.

Look-alikes

Young lords-and-ladies leaves are arrow-shaped too and come up in the same hedge banks. They are glossier, with wavy edges, a net of veins and often dark spots, and they burn the mouth at once. Sheep sorrel is a smaller, edible cousin.

Harvest and use

Young leaves in salad, sorrel soup, and the classic sharp sauce for salmon and other fish. Cook only briefly — it turns khaki and melts.

Caution

High in oxalic acid: a herb and a sauce, not a daily salad bowl, and best avoided by anyone prone to kidney stones.

Common sorrel at a glance

Also called

Sorrel, sour dock, meadow sorrel, sour ducks; oseille (France), Sauerampfer (Germany), szczaw (Poland)

Family

Polygonaceae (dock family)

Where it grows

Grassland throughout Europe, from the northern Mediterranean coast to the north of Scandinavia, and on into Central Asia — meadows, verges, woodland edges, heath and moorland; commonest in the cool, damp north and west and scarce in the hot Mediterranean lowlands. Introduced in North America, Australia and New Zealand.

When to pick

Leaves come up early in spring and are best young, before the reddish flower spikes rise in May and June; they toughen with age. Plants cut back by mowing or haymaking send up fresh leaves again.

Parts used

Young leaves and shoots, raw or briefly cooked. Older leaves are tough and even more sour.

Is any of it poisonous?

Like all sorrels it is high in oxalic acid. A normal helping in a soup or sauce is fine; large, frequent amounts are not, especially for anyone prone to kidney stones.

Questions people ask about common sorrel