Redwood Sorrel

Redwood sorrel is an inconspicuous ground-level perennial herb, which at first glance looks like the spreading weed clover. Sorrel has three dark green heart-shaped leaflets with purplish undersides, ranging from 1-4.5 cm long, which perch on thin, 5-20 cm stalks. The pale pink flowers have five petals, which are 2.4–4 cm in diameter. The plant’s small hairy seed capsules are five-chambered and egg-shaped, containing almond-shaped seeds.

Basic Information

• Member of the wood sorrel family, Oxalidaceae

• Perennial herb

Habitat

• Native to western North America, down from British Columbia to Washington, Oregon, and California

• Found primarily in moist Douglas-fir and coast redwood forests, typically near stream banks

Ecological Role

• Pollinated by native bees, syrphid flies, and butterflies

Reproduction

• Blooms in winter and spring

• Spreads primarily by an underground rhizome (horizontal root), creating large colony-like patches of sorrel

Alternative Names

• Sorrel, Oregon oxalis

Historical Uses

• The leaves were eaten raw by numerous tribes including the Makah, Cowlitz, Quileute, and Quinault

  • The leaves are like spinach

• The Pomo Kashaya and the Tolowa used a decoction of the plant to wash parts of the body afflicted with rheumatism

• The Quileute applied a poultice of the leaves to boils

• The Quinault chewed the root juice and applied it to sore eyes

Additional Information

• The redwood sorrel photosynthesizes in low levels of sunlight (at about 1/200th of full sunlight). When direct sunlight strikes the leaves they curl down, but the leaves reopen when it is shady once more. This process takes only a few minutes, and is fully visible to the naked eye.