Rumex acetosella L.

Family: Polygonaceae


Pertinent Synonyms & Notes (particularly those used in California; go to GRIN for other synonyms)

Rumex angiocarpus Murb.

Pertinent Common Names (particularly those used in California; go to GRIN for other common names)

sheep sorrel, red sorrel

Primary Disseminule Type

fruit (typically with attached perianth)

Description (diagnostics are in brown)

Disseminule is a fruit with persistent tepals (=perianth), occasionally with persistent pedicel.

Perianth of two whorls of three tepals each. Outer tepals (may be missing) 0.5–0.8 mm long. Inner tepals closely adherant to fruit, light reddish-brown, granular in texture (but lacking large tubercles), 1.2–1.7(2) mm long x 0.5–1.3 mm wide.

Fruit an achene, broadly ovoid with ± acute (but not accuminate) apex, trigonous with rounded margins, 0.9–1.5(1.6) mm long x 0.6–1 mm wide. Surface reddish-brown, shiny, smooth.

Similar Species

Compare to Similar Species of Rumex and Similar Species of Other Polygonaceae.

Risk Assessment (codes in yellow or red indicate cause for concern; assessments are current as of mid-2011; click AUQP, NZBORIC, or NZBPI for access to the most recent versions of these databases and possible assessment changes)

AUQP, NZBORIC, NZBPI