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Heartwing Sorrel, Rumex hastatulus Baldwin ex Ell.1
David W. Hall, Vernon V. Vandiver and Brent A. Sellers2Classification
- Common Name: Heartwing Sorrel
- Scientific Name: Rumex hastatulus Baldwin ex Ell.
Family: Polygonaceae, Buckwheat Family
Seedling
The cotyledon blades are thickened and about 0.5 cm long ( Figure 1 ). The veins are not apparent. The petioles are flat on the upper surface. The first true leaves are alternate.
Figure 1. Seedling, Heartwing Sorrel, Rumex hastatulus Baldwin ex Ell. Mature Plant
Heartwing Sorrel is a winter annual or rarely a short-lived perennial ( Figure 2 ). The leaves have the shape of an arrowhead. The male and female flowers are on separate plants and are pink to purple-red. The female flowers have outer sepals 0.5-1.0 mm long. The fruit (achene) is 3-4 mm long and has smooth papery wings.
Figure 2. Mature plant, Heartwing Sorrel, Rumex hastatulus Baldwin ex Ell. History
The genus name Rumex is the Latin name which was used for this plant. The Latin species name hastatulus means spear-shaped and refers to the shape of the leaves.Habitat
This weed is common on sandy soil throughout the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. It occurs in Florida from the central part of the state northward into the southeastern United States to Texas, and northward through the Midwest to Montana and Illinois and through the Northeast to Massachusetts.Biology
The seeds are a common wild bird food. Oxalates in this plant can be poisonous by binding calcium in the blood. The sap can cause dermatitis in sensitive individuals.
Footnotes
1. This document is an excerpt from Weeds in Florida, SP 37, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: May 1991. Revised: March 2006. Please visit the EDIS Website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.2. David W. Hall, former extension botanist, Herbarium, Florida Museum of Natural History; Vernon V. Vandiver, associate professor emeritus, Agronomy Department; Brent A. Sellers, assistant professor, Agronomy Department, Range Cattle Research and Education Center--Ona, FL; Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.
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U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.
Copyright Information
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