WOOD-SORREL. 389 



they may be cut for use. The outer leaves should be first 

 gathered, and the flower-stalks cut or nipped off as they 

 make their appearance, in order to render the plants strong 

 and stocky, and to promote the growth of the leaves, which 

 are the parts of the plants used. They are served as Cress, 

 which they resemble in flavor. 



WOOD-SORREL. 

 Oxalis acetocella. 



Wood-sorrel is a hardy, perennial plant, growing naturally 

 in woods, in cool and shaded situations. The leaves are 

 radical, inversely heart-shaped, and produced three together 

 at the extremity of quite a long stem, or petiole ; the flower- 

 stalk is entirely leafless, and supports a solitary bell-shaped 

 flower, the petals of which are white, finely lined or striped 

 with purple ; the seed-vessels are of an oblong form, five- 

 angled, and, when ripe, burst open, by the touch, in the 

 manner of those of the Impatiens noli me tangere, or Com- 

 mon Balsam, of the flower-garden ; the seeds are quite small, 

 and of a reddish-brown color. 



The flowers are produced in May and June, and the seeds 

 ripen in July. 



Propagation and Culture. It may be propagated either 

 by seeds or by dividing the roots. The soil should be rich 

 and moist, and the seeds may be sown in April or May, in 

 shallow drills ten or twelve inches apart ; or the roots may 

 be divided in spring or autumn, and set in rows the same 

 distance asunder. 



Use. The leaves possess a pleasant acid taste, and are 

 mixed with salads, to which they impart an agreeable, re- 

 freshing flavor. The plant is considered one of the most 

 valuable of all vegetables cultivated for their acid properties. 

 33* 



