Garden sorrel

Rumex acetosa

A herbaceous perennial of the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae) grown as a culinary herb for its basal clusters of arrowhead-shaped leaves, which carry a tangy, acidic, sour-lemony flavor used in salads, soups, omelets, and sauces. Native to northern temperate regions, it reaches about 2 feet tall and sends up long, spike-like terminal clusters of greenish flowers that turn reddish with age in summer. Per the Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder, it self-seeds and spreads in the garden, and flowers should be removed promptly to keep new leaf growth coming; younger leaves taste best.

Climate fit: moderate (45/100)

Edible

Filler

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate water

Mature size

18-24" tall · 18" apart

Hardy in zones

3-7

brutally cold to cold winters

AHS heat range

1-9

Plant range authored in AHS heat-zone terms.

Native in Illinois

Related products

Cold hardiness

Future

2050

2100

These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Published baseline for this location from 1991-2020.

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7a

Plotwright

Projected zone for this same location in 2050 (2041-2070) using SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry).

Well-suited

In plain terms: This location is in Zone 6b today. Its hardiness profile is cold winters, and coldest nights are typically around -3°F. By 2050, the projected hardiness zone is Zone 7a based on SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry). That is a +0.5-zone shift from Zone 6b to Zone 7a by 2050.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

Future

2050

2100

Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.

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