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SHEEP SORREL 



Rumex acetosella L. 



May - June Wlien old pastures and unused fields of Illinois take 



Fields, roadsides on in miniature the colors of the Grand Canyon and 



the Painted Desert, then spring is over and early 

 summer is on th.e land. It is now that the sheep sorrel sends up thin, 

 wispy, whip-lash spikes which blossom with tiny flowers and later seeds 

 in shades of yellow, rose, rus.^et, orange, and brown. A field of sheep 

 sorrel is all these colors in ;in ever-changing pattern of color which is so 

 common that it usually is ignored, yet so beautiful that it may be com- 

 ])ared with the rich hues of the ancient and more ])(>nnauent ])aint of the 

 Arizona desert. 



8hee]j sorrel is not an exotic flower. It is neithei- a i-ose nor an orchid, 

 but is a memlicr of the Buckwheat family and is akin to smartweeds, 

 docks, and buckwheats. It has a basal cluster of halberd-shaped leaves, 

 dark gi*een and acid of juice, and several flower stems bearing a few small 

 leaves. The flowers bloom with abundant jwllen and the seeds form ahnost 

 at once. The colors cover a wide range of tones of red and yellow and 

 orange, so that the field of sheep sonol presents that ])astel. many-colored 

 effect so typical of this ]jlant. 



Like many of the other docks, sheep soi'i'e! is eilil)!e, boHi boiled as 

 greens and as a base for a sou]). A small anu)iint ot the fresh young leaves 

 makes an unusual seasoning for iiofatoes, rice, fish, or as an in<rredient in 

 a mixed salad. 



When eaten raw, sheep son-el should be taken in small <|uantities 

 because of the presence of potassium oxalate in the leaves. AVhen boiled, 

 the acid is reduced to harml(>ssness. In France the sorrel is planted in 

 boxes in basements, kept dark, and the pale leaves used as a delectable 

 item in salads. 



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