''Rumex hastatulus'', commonly known as the heartwing sorrel, is an annual

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

species in the family

Polygonaceae The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1 ...

otherwise known as the buckwheat family. It is found spread out through the eastern and southern United States.

Description

''Rumex hastatulus'' is an erect herb-like with simple, oblong, alternate leaves ranging from long and . The flowers are bright red and carried in a branched cluster and are from long and wide. The fruit is a brownish orange color. When eaten the leaves flowers and seeds have been described to have a sour taste and are edible in small doses. ''Rumex hastatulus'' is

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproducti ...

, with separate male and female plants.

Distribution

The plant is found in the eastern and southeastern parts of North America in areas with alluvial or ruderal habitats such as river valleys meadows and waste areas.

Uses

Despite being known to be poisonous ''Rumex hastatulus'' has been commonly used in small doses in different types of salads in parts of and soups. While the culinary uses for the plant are limited due to it being known to cause nausea stomach cramps and headaches in large portions it is at times used in France as a form of "sorrel soup". The plant is also commonly used to study due to its unique genetic structure. Due to their complex chromosomal makeup their sex is determined by the ratio of x and y chromosomes. This gender determination system is unique in flowering plants leading to a lot of research being done into environmental and genetic factors in that determine the sex.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15600821 hastatulus Dioecious plants