Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Oxyria digyna (mountain sorrel, wood sorrel, Alpine sorrel or Alpine mountainsorrel) a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family. It is common in the tundra of Arctic. Further south, it has a circumboreal distribution, growing in high mountainous areas in the Northern Hemisphere like the Alps, Sierra Nevada, and Cascade Range. It grows in dense tufts, with stems 10-20 centimeter 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".

Plant type

Perennial herb

Size

1 - 12 in Tall

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Moderate

Calscape icon
Color

Green, Red

Flowering season

Summer

Sun

Full Sun

Soil description

Prefers sandy or loamy soils. Does not grow well in clay soils.

Sunset Zones

15

Site type

Rock crevices, talus

Plant communities

Alpine Fell-Fields, Subalpine Forest, Wetland-Riparian

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

2 confirmed and 0 likely

Confirmed Likely

Lustrous Copper

Lycaena cupreus

American Copper

Lycaena phlaeas