Oxyria Digyna

Mountain sorrel is a compact Arctic and alpine perennial with rounded kidney-shaped leaves held on reddish stalks and loose branching sprays of tiny greenish flowers. The developing fruits turn red or copper, often giving the whole plant a warm tint against scree and snowmelt ground. Oxyria digyna has an enormous circumpolar range and is among the useful edible plants of northern peoples, its leaves providing a sharp, lemony flavour and vitamin C. In cultivation it is best treated as a cool alpine, with gritty humus, reliable moisture and protection from summer heat.