First Monday Magnoliophyte in a long while, I know, but I'm going to try again to keep it up (perhaps by writing them ahead of time). This week I'd like to talk about sorrel, a perennial herb native to Europe, sometimes called spinach dock due to its similarity in appearance to the more common leafy vegetable. It belongs to the same family as rhubarb, and is used in many salads, soups, and stews, much like chard or spinach. A distantly related red Carribean variety exists that is used in flavoring jellies, tarts, and, certain drinks.

Eudicots; Caryophyllales; Polygonaceae; Rumex acetosa

All sorrels contain poisonous oxalic acid, and as such the flavor can range from what is described as "kiwifruit" in younger shoots, to more acidic older leaves. In large quantities, the leaves can prove fatal. The plant has been cultivated for centuries, from Eastern Europe through Africa. I've just started growing some of my own hydroponically, so we'll see how delicious (or awful) it really is!