SORREL  , Rumex Acetosa, a member of the natural

order Polygonaceae, a hardy perennial, native to Britain and found throughout the north temperate zone . The leaves are used in soups, salads and sauces . Sorrel grows freely in any good garden soil, and is increased by dividing the roots during the early part of spring . They should be planted in rows 15 to 18 in. apart . The leaves, when fully grown, are gathered singly . The common garden sorrel is much superior to the wild plant; but the Belleville, which is the kind generally cultivated near Paris, is still better, its leaves being larger and not so acid . The Blistered-leaved, which has large leaves with a blistered surface, has the advantage of being slow in running to seed . French Sorrel (Rumex scutatus) is a hardy perennial, distributed through Europe but not native in Britain, with densely-branched trailing stems . The leaves are roundish, heart-shaped and glaucous; they are more acid than those of the common sorrel .