Red Sorrel

(Rumex acetosella L.)

Polygonaceae (Smartweed Family)

▲ ▼  non-flowering shoots

▲ flowering stem

▲ base of flowering stem

▲ inflorescence

▲ stem leaves

▲ ▼ colony of flowering plants

▲ colony of flowering plants

▲ creeping roots

 

Red sorrel:  (pp. 494-495, Weeds of the Great Plains; pp. 284-285, Weeds of the Northeast)

·        a low-growing, perennial member of the smartweed family with creeping roots

·        has arrow-shaped leaves, grows 4-8" tall

·        inflorescences golden to reddish, similar to curly or pale dock to which it is related, but only 6-18” tall

·        commonly found in acid, low-fertility lawns, pastures, roadsides, waste areas; usually in areas of poor drainage—a good indicator weed for acid soils

·        control:  post-emergent herbicides, neutral pH, good soil fertility, shading