Wood Sorrel – Oxalis spp.

What is Wood Sorrel?

Don't call it a clover—wood sorrel (Oxalis spp.) is an unassuming delight all its own.

You almost definitely know this plant well, even if you've never been aware of its identity. It's one of our most common weeds, ubiquitous across all of North America, and found just about anywhere there's a clump of dirt and some sunlight.

Is Wood Sorrel Edible?

Yes, the leaves, flowers, and seed pods (which resemble miniature okra fruits) of all wood sorrel species are edible.

The sour, lemon-ish flavor is due in part to the presence of oxalic acid (which is where this genus's scientific name comes from). When you read about wood sorrel in the wild food literature, you'll often see very stark warnings about overconsumption of oxalic acid that might make you second-guess your desire to try eating it. Keep in mind that I am not your doctor or a medical professional of any kind, but I think these warnings are largely overblown (unless you happen to suffer from gout, rheumatoid arthritis, or other chronic illnesses that require you to avoid oxalates). And it's really a shame because they only serve to discourage people from being open-minded about trying wild foods.

In reality, oxalic acid is found in equal or greater 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 dose of it anytime you eat spinach. And anyway, the nature of wood sorrel is such that you will never eat as much of it in one meal as you would of our oxalic-rich cultivated greens anyway, so there's no need to worry about nibbling on a few leaves here and there when you stumble upon it.

Why Forage For Wood Sorrel?

Wood sorrel is a delightful wild edible that's available in abundance for much of the year, basically anywhere in the world where humans reside. It's a great plant to know because it's so common and easy to identify, and it's a fun one to introduce to kids and adults alike because of its surprisingly tangy flavor.

Key Characteristics

• Oxalis species are low-growing, herbaceous plants with clover-like leaves and small, five-petaled flowers.
• Leaves are typically heart-shaped, but can also be rounded or triangular.
• Flowers are typically yellow or white, and they have a very distinctive shape that's hard to mistake for anything else.
• The seed pods of wood sorrel are small, green, and somewhat resemble okra pods.

Etymology and Taxonomy

Common Names

Various wood sorrel species are also known as sourgrass, sour clover, Bermuda buttercup, Cape sorrel, soursop, and many other regional names.

Taxonomical Lineage

• Oxalidaceae (Wood Sorrel) family
  • Oxalis genus

Source: Wikipedia

Edible Wild Wood Sorrel Species

There are over 800 species of Oxalis worldwide, and many of them are edible. The name "wood sorrel" actually refers to quite a few very similar-looking species in the Oxalis genus, including O. stricta, O. corniculata, O. pes-caprae, and more. 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.

Where to Find Wood Sorrel

Wood sorrel is found all over the world, and it's one of the most common weedy plants on Earth. It's a pioneer species that thrives in disturbed soils, so you'll find it in lawns, gardens, cracks in sidewalks and driveways, the edges of trails in the woods, in random planters and containers that nothing else is growing in—basically, anywhere and everywhere.

When to Gather Wood Sorrel

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. In warmer parts of North America we see signs of it as early as February or March, and it will stick around until November and sometimes beyond if the weather stays mild in early winter. It will bloom continuously from about May through October in most places.

How to Harvest and Prepare Wood Sorrel

The leaves, flowers, and seed pods of wood sorrel are all edible. The leaves are best when young and tender, and the flowers are best when they're still in bud form. The seed pods are a bit of a novelty, and they're a bit slimy when raw, almost like okra (which they kind of resemble), but they're still fun to nibble on.

Wood sorrel will begin to wilt almost immediately after harvesting, so it's best eaten on the spot.

Its tangy, somewhat sour flavor—reminiscent of citrus—makes it an excellent garnish in just about any salad. It's also good to know when out hiking on a hot day, because a few nibbles will go a surprisingly long way towards keeping your thirst quenched.

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. Wood sorrel can act as a diuretic for some people, so don't go overboard with it in tea form if you're unsure whether it behaves this way with you.

How to Sustainably Work with Wood Sorrel

Wood sorrel is a notorious weed, and it's a very good one at that. It's a pioneer species that thrives in disturbed soils, so it's not going anywhere anytime soon. You can harvest it as much as you like, and it will come back with a vengeance before you know it.

If you're a gardener, you might want to think twice about letting wood sorrel grow in your garden beds, because it can be quite aggressive and will quickly take over if you let it. But if you're a forager, you can rest easy knowing that you can harvest it to your heart's content without worrying about depleting the population.

Wood Sorrel Lookalikes

Clover

At first glance, many people will mistake wood sorrel for some kind of clover (Trifolium spp.), 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.

Wood sorrel and clovers also feature very distinctly different flowers—sorrel has tiny yellow flowers with five petals, while clovers produce large flower heads (relative to the size of the plants) loaded with flowers that somewhat resemble those of peas.

If you make a mistake and end up with a mouthful of clover instead of wood sorrel, no worries—clovers are edible too, but their leaves can be pretty stringy and fibrous, so they're not always ideal when eaten raw like wood sorrel.

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.