Polygonaceae
Mountain Sorrel
Oxyria digyna
Survival and adaptability.
- Family
- Polygonaceae
- Genus
- Oxyria
- Native to
- Arctic and alpine regions worldwide
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- herbaceous
- Height
- 4-12 in
- Sunlight
- full sun to partial shade
- Soil
- moist, rocky, acidic
- Water
- moderate to high
- Hardiness
- 1-6
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Mountain sorrel is one of the most widespread Arctic plants, found on every continent in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Inuit peoples have eaten the tart, vitamin C-rich leaves for millennia to prevent scurvy during long winters.
- The kidney-shaped leaves have a pleasantly sour flavor due to oxalic acid, similar to garden sorrel.
- It can grow and flower in just 6 to 8 weeks, adapted to the extremely short Arctic growing season.
- Seeds can remain viable in frozen soil for decades, germinating when conditions finally become favorable.
Color meanings
0
endurance
1
adaptability
2
arctic spirit