Oxyria digyna - mountain sorrel

Family: Polygonaceae (Buckwheat family) ^[E-flora]

"Oxyria digyna is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 0.3 m (1ft). It is hardy to zone (UK) 2 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from Jun to August, and the seeds ripen from Jul to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil." ^[PFAF]

"Leaves: Basal leaves round to kidney-shaped, the margins slightly wavy, smooth, the blades 1-5 cm wide, the stalks 4-8 cm long; stem leaves similar, usually 1 or lacking; stipules sheathing, membranous, brownish or reddish, the sheaths loose, oblique." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

"Flowers: Inflorescence of whorled flowers in a dense, narrow panicle-like raceme 5-15 cm long; perianths greenish or reddish, the segments 4, 1.5-2.5 mm long; stamens 6; sepals 4." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

"Fruits: Achenes, lens-shaped, widely winged, 4-6 mm wide." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

Habitat / Range

"Moist rock outcrops, talus and scree slopes, streambanks and snowbed sites from the upper montane to alpine zones; common throughout BC, except rare on the Queen Charlotte Islands; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to NH, AZ, NM and CA; Iceland, Eurasia." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

"Damp rocky places on mountains, especially by streams, avoiding acid soils[17]. Locally common on enriched soils below bird roosts[200]. Mountains of the northern temperate zone, including Britain." ^[PFAF]

Origin Status: Native ^[E-flora]

Hazards

"The leaves contain oxalic acid, which gives them their sharp flavour. Perfectly all right in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since oxalic acid can bind up the body's supply of calcium leading to nutritional deficiency. The quantity of oxalic acid will be reduced if the leaves are cooked. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[238]." ^[PFAF]

Edible Uses

• Leaves
  • "A pleasing acid taste[183] A pleasantly sour taste." ^[PFAF]
    
  • "Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 46, 62, 85, 257]. A pleasing acid taste[183] and an excellent potherb[1]. A very nice addition to salads[K]. The leaves can be fermented into a sauerkraut for winter use[183]. Use in moderation, see notes at top of sheet." ^[PFAF]
  • Leaves eaten raw, with seal oil, cooked or fermented.[4] Alaska Native Food (Dietary Aid) - Leaves used as a good source of vitamin C.[5][UMD-Eth]
• Plant
  • Leaves & Stems: Leaves and stems eaten raw or cooked with seal oil.[1] Leaves and young stems eaten raw and cooked.[3][UMD-Eth]
  • Leaves & Root: Leaves eaten fresh, soured, boiled or in oil and root also utilized.[2][UMD-Eth]
• Juice: Juice sweetened, thickened with a small amount of rice or potato flour and eaten.[3][UMD-Eth]

• Dysentery
  • "The roots, stems and leaves are cooked and eaten in the treatment of dysentery[272]." ^[PFAF]
• Leaves
  • "The leaves are rich in vitamin C and are used to treat scurvy[212]." ^[PFAF]

"Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed. The seed germinates within 2 weeks. It can also be sown as soon as it is ripe, when it germinates within a few days. Prick the seedlings out into individual pots as soon as they are ripe and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Division in the spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer." ^[PFAF]

"Prefers a moist well-drained rocky soil in a sunny position or partial shade[200]. Requires a lime free soil[200]. There is some controversy here since the plant is said to avoid acid soils in the wild[K]." ^[PFAF]

Synonyms

• Rheum digynum
• Rumex digyna L.

Oxyria Sp.

"4 species. (Greek: sour, from acidic taste) [Chrtek & Sourková 1992 Preslia 64:207–210]" [Jepson]

Local Species;

1. Oxyria digyna - mountain sorrel

References

• [E-flora] http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Oxyria%20digyna In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2014. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 1/4/2015]
• [Jepson] 2013. Oxyria, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=35722, accessed on Jan 4 2015
• [PFAF] http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Oxyria+digyna, Accessed Jan 4, 2015
• [UMD-Eth] Oxyria digyna (L.) Hill
  • [1]Ager, Thomas A. and Lynn Price Ager 1980 Ethnobotany of The Eskimos of Nelson Island, Alaska. Arctic Anthropology 27:26-48 (p. 35)
  • [2]Anderson, J. P. 1939 Plants Used by the Eskimo of the Northern Bering Sea and Arctic Regions of Alaska. American Journal of Botany 26:714-16 (p. 715)
  • [3]Porsild, A.E. 1953 Edible Plants of the Arctic. Arctic 6:15-34 (p. 24)
  • [4]Jones, Anore 1983 Nauriat Niginaqtuat = Plants That We Eat. Kotzebue, Alaska. Maniilaq Association Traditional Nutrition Program (p. 65)
  • [5]Heller, Christine A. 1953 Edible and Poisonous Plants of Alaska. University of Alaska (p. 39)

Image References

1. Anton Hartinger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
2. Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
3. Carl Axel Magnus Lindman, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons