The leaves appear slightly hairy, and droop significantly after heavy rain/dew. There are a number of varieties of wood sorrel which can be found throughout the world, though flowers and leaves vary in color and size. Species in this family are small trees to small herbs. Wood sorrel is easy to identify by the heart-shaped leaves that grow in groupings of 3. Common Yellow Wood Sorrel (Oxalis stricta) By David Taylor. (But you can ID and eat before it flowers) It produces long, narrow seed pods, tapered at both ends, which are square-shaped in cross-section. Common yellow wood sorrel is a member of the Oxalidaceae, the Wood Sorrel family. Other plants in the family include purple shamrocks (Oxalis triangularis) a common houseplant, and violet wood sorrel (Oxalis violacea). Wood Sorrel (Oxalis spp) How to Identify Wood Sorrel. Related forms include redwood sorrel ( Oxalis oregana ), silver shamrock ( Oxalis adenophylla ), and ordinary wood sorrel ( Oxalis corniculata ). Wood Sorrel Family If you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, then you will like the Woodsorrel family. I'm going to try post new content more often, so please subscribe or keep checking in! Its tangy, somewhat sour flavor—reminiscent of citrus—makes it an excellent garnish in just about any salad. These companies may use information (but NOT including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. Oxalidaceae Plants of the. Oxalis comes from the Greek oxus, which means "sour". (Again, you can identify and eat before seeds form). Wood sorrel was the first wild edible I could identify on my own, though I was into my 20s by then. Yellow Wood Sorrel (Oxalis stricta), commonly called Oxalis or sour grass, is a vigorous weed. Much of this sour flavor is lost with high-heat cooking, so wood sorrel is best used cold, to keep is flavor in-tact. Other plants in the family include purple shamrocks (Oxalis triangularis) a common houseplant, and violet wood sorrel (Oxalis violacea). Po... How I find and safely eat pokeweed shoots in early... Pickled greenbriar tips foraging recipe. The presence of oxalic acid gives wood sorrel a sour flavor, often compared to lemons. There are many different species of oxalis, the best known being oxalis acetosella, which has white flowers with streaks of pink. Welcome to my foraging blog. Foraging, identifying and preparing this wild mushroom. That sour, lemon-ish flavor is due in part to the presence of oxalic acid (which is where this genus’s scientific name comes from). In reality, oxalic acid is found in higher quantities in many of our cultivated green vegetables: it’s involved in the sour tanginess of kale, broccoli and other brassicas, and you also get a big ol’ dose of it anytime you eat spinach. Add it to salads, desert sauces, smoothies. Easy winter foraging for wild food. Keto, gluten-free, foraging recipe made with edible "weeds" of early spring. Clover left, wood sorrel right. It will bloom continuously from about May through October. What this plant is best known for is its tangy flavor. They can be tough to tell apart, and in truth there’s no need to stress about which species you’re looking at – they’re all equally edible and tasty. Wood sorrel also makes a lovely tea—simply steep a generous helping of leaves in boiling water for at least 15 to 20 minutes, then sweeten if desired. The genus name for wood sorrel is oxalis. Some clovers also have serrated edges, but to be absolutely safe, beginners should avoid them. You CAN eat thistles! Black medic is generally considered edible, but should be eaten cooked, as it may have long-term damaging effects when eaten raw, in large amounts. Diving into the wonderful world of wild foods can be intimidating, especially if you don't have much experience working with plants. Like wood sorrel, black medic (Medicago lupulina) has 3-part leaves and yellow flowers. You almost definitely know this plant well, even if you’ve never been aware of its identity. Note: products or services contained in these advertisements are neither tried nor endorsed by me in anyway, not do their views reflect my own. My grandma taught my cousin and me to identify and snack on violet wood sorrel, but we called it "sheep sharp." It has yellow flowers, with 5 petals. Wood sorrel will germinate just about anytime a patch of soil is disturbed, but for most of its range it does most of its growing in the spring and fall. It's one of my favorites, just for that reason, and grows throughout my garden. Wood Sorrel is easily identified by the three heart-shaped lobes of the leaf, and the overall size and distribution. Never eat any wild plant unless you are 100% sure that you have identified an edible species. It has a leaf shape as described above It's very delicate, with thin stems and leaves no more than an inch across. It grows about 15 cm (6 inches) tall, has pink-tinted stems, and white or reddish flowers that appear … Click here to find out more and sign up today. Plus a vegan, paleo Greek sa... Vegetarian garlicky cleavers walnut pesto. The family is mostly found in temperate regions. It has yellow flowers, with 5 petals. It should also be avoided by pregnant women. That's why I wrote Introduction to Foraging: A Beginner's Guide to Gathering Wild Foods with Confidence - available now. 4 simple steps, The ringless honey mushroom: Armillaria tabescens. Another unique and therefore telling trait of wood sorrel is that its leaves and flowers will fold up and close in the evening, then reopen in the morning – a friendly reminder that the plant life around you is a lot more “active” than you might realize. Yellow wood sorrel is found throughout the US and Canada, though it may be absent from more mountainous areas. ), but there’s one glaring difference between these two genera that you’ll notice right away if you’re looking for it: wood sorrel has heart-shaped leaves, while the leaves of clovers are rounded. ), Identifying the Most Common Poisonous Mushroom: Chlorophyllum molybdites (the Green-Spored Lepiota), Deadnettle and Henbit: two edible, medicinal herbal weeds of early spring, An Overview of the Genus Cortinarius (Telluride pt. Botanical Name Oxalis spp Family. Yellow wood sorrel is related to a variety of other oxalis species, all of which can be problems in the garden and lawn. Members of the alfalfa family have 3-part, oval leaves serrated leaf edges. The most likely plant to confuse with sorrel is black medic, related to alfalfa, and a more distant relative of common clover. The book was written with the absolute beginner in mind, and with the goal of getting you out into the world gathering wild foods right away. This was actually the first plant i learned how to identify and actually liked eating, and it grows basically everywhere where I live.