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Today i was wandering over a random meadow located outside the city of Groningen, The Netherlands. I was checking out some oak trees until i suddenly noticed these small plants between the grass that resembled field lettuce. The whole meadow was full of them! At a point i really started to wonder what they taste like, so i plucked one of the leaves and stuck it in my mouth. The plant had a very fresh mildly sweet acidic taste and i kind of enjoyed eating it to be honest. I kept on eating it until i realized that i really don't know what this plant is despite being so damn delicious. It could be a highly toxic plant! But its been about 5 hours since consumption now and i'm still not feeling sick so i guess its either not toxic or i just havn't consumed enough of it to feel its toxic effects on my body. Hence the question: What is the name of this plant, and is it edible? And if its edible, how nutricious is it? I want to harvest more of these plants so that i can put them in my salads. I really like the taste of this plant! Anyway, heres a photo of the plant.

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  • It is not a lettuce, and I think it is also not on the same family. You should check that edibility does not depend only on the species, but also on the growing environment. Most of wild plant are neutral (but do not try random, some are very poisons), so no bad, but also nothing good (no nutrients).
    – Giacomo Catenazzi
    Aug 19, 2018 at 17:23

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It might be Sorrel (Rumex scutatus), commonly known as French sorrel. It is safe to eat IF that's what it is, but I'm not certain enough to say that. It does grow wild in Europe, along with one or two other sorrels, but I've never grown any of them so can't confirm 100% that's what it is. Image and info here https://www.mygardenlife.com/plant-library/2765/rumex/scutatus

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    IMO it's Rumex acetosa.
    – Drux
    Aug 19, 2018 at 17:48
  • @Drux - I'm not sure it is that one - the leaves aren't crinkled enough
    – Bamboo
    Aug 19, 2018 at 18:26
  • True, I should also have said that IMO it might be that. It's the variety I know from having eaten it as a child (not in the Netherlands, though).
    – Drux
    Aug 19, 2018 at 18:30
  • @Drux- R. acetosa grows wild in the UK, so it probably grows wild in the Netherlands too...
    – Bamboo
    Aug 19, 2018 at 18:58
  • guys its Sorrel, Sorrel has these leave protrusions sticking out at each side of where the stem meets the leaf. These protrusions can be pointy or more round. Thank you for your answers!
    – Maurice
    Aug 20, 2018 at 8:10

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