Oxyria digyna

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Oxyria digyna

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Polygonaceae
Genus:	Oxyria
Species:	O. digyna

Binomial name

Oxyria digyna
Hill

Oxyria digyna (mountain sorrel, wood sorrel, Alpine sorrel or Alpine mountainsorrel) is common in the tundra of Arctic. Further south, it grows in high mountainous areas like the Alps and Cascade Range.

It grows in dense tufts, with stems 10-20 cm high. Both flowering stems and leaf stalks are somewhat reddish. Leaves are kidney-shaped, somewhat fleshy, on stalks from the basal part of the stem. Flowers are small, green and later reddish, and are grouped in an open upright cluster. The fruit is a small nut, encircled by a broad wing which finally turns red. Forming dense, red tufts, the plant is easily recognized. O. digyna grows in wet places protected by snow in winter. Oxyria (from Greek) means sour.

[edit] Uses

The leaves have a fresh acidic taste and are rich in vitamin C, containing about 36 mg/100g.^[1] They were used by the Inuit to prevent and cure scurvy, and can be used in salads. It is called qunguliq in Inuktitut.