Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) is a plant that has been used medicinally and in cooking for centuries. However, apart from its own ingredients, this type of plant also poses a potential risk of being confused with incompatible doubles.

Enjoy sorrel with caution

Basically, the young leaves of the sorrel raw or cooked in spring are a tasty wild herb delicacy with a fine acidity. Consumption becomes problematic from mid-June, when the leaves begin to turn red. This indicates an increasing level of potassium hydrogen oxalate in the leaves, which is converted to oxalic acid in the human body and can lead to cramps, diarrhea and organ damage. Since grazing cattle usually despise the plants for this reason, sorrel is fought by many farmers in the forage meadows. Children and young people should only consume dishes containing sorrel in limited quantities, otherwise symptoms of poisoning can occur. However, the effects of the ingredients in the leaves can be greatly mitigated by scalding or boiling.

Confusion within the dock family

Within the botanical dock family, confusion with other dock species can occur. Curled dock (Rumex crispus) and lesser sorrel (Rumex acetosella) offer a certain potential for intolerance and poisoning, depending on the respective location. These can only be distinguished from the common sorrel (Rumex acetosa) by looking closely at the following criteria:

  • growth height
  • Leaf shape and leaf appearance
  • flower color

Confusion with the Rod of Aaron

A confusion of the Aaron's staff with the sorrel is possible due to the very similarly shaped and colored leaves. However, if you look closely, you can see that the leaves of the sorrel have a pointed shape at the lower end of the leaf blade. In contrast, the leaves of the Aaronic staff are evenly rounded in this area. In addition, the poisonous leaves of the Aaron's staff unmask themselves with a light touch of the tongue through a stinging pain that comes from the many small needles in the sap of the plant. However, for security reasons, you should not try this yourself.

tips and tricks

In order to be sure when distinguishing between sorrel and sorrel, you can wait for the inflorescences of both plant species in the spring. While the Aaron's Stick develops its characteristic flowers near the ground, the panicle-shaped, reddish sorrel flowers grow up to a meter high.

Category:

Herbs