COMMON SOR'REL.—Bmnecv acetosa. 



Class Hexandria. Order Digyxia, Nat. Ord. Poltgone^. 

 Persicaria Tribe. 



Almost all whose early life has been spent in 

 the country, are famihar with this plant. Its 

 stem, often two feet and sometimes three in 

 height, looks gay, when in June and July the 

 large bunches of small red flowers give their 

 colour to the meadow or other grassy spots. 

 The leaves and juicy stems, though not so 

 powerfully acid as those of the Wood Sorrel, 

 have, however, a very agreeable acid flavour 

 when the plant is in full season, though in the 

 early months of spring they are almost taste- 

 less. They are sometimes boiled as spinach, 

 or are used to flavour salads and soups. The 

 plant, by cultivation, increases both in size and 

 acidity, and is often reared in gardens for the 

 use of the table. The Laplanders use the 

 fohage to turn their milk sour, and in Iceland, 

 as well as in France, it is eaten with fish. The 

 flowers are red tinged with green, and as they 

 increase in size become of a purphsh colour ; 

 and the root is very astringent, and is con- 

 sidered to possess valuable medicinal proper- 

 ties. When dried and boiled, it yields a good 



