The dainty Wood Sorrel is common all over the country. It grows in damp
woods and in shady places, and it blooms in spring.
The flowers grow singly at the end of slender pink stalks. They are
large, and have five beautiful white petals, slightly tinged with pink.
These petals are covered all over with fine veins, and when the sun
shines on the plant they open out almost flat.
If you look closely at the bundle of yellow stamens in the centre of the
flower, you will find that five are long and five are short.
Behind the white petals there is a tiny green cup, which is made up of
five sepals joined together. The mouth of this cup is edged with five
sharp points.
The leaves of the Wood Sorrel are very pretty. Each leaf has a slender
pink stalk which springs straight from the root, and every leaf is
divided into three delicate leaflets, which are pale green above, and a
delicate pale pink below. These leaflets are heart-shaped, and before
they have fully opened, they droop close to the stem.
If you taste one of the Wood Sorrel leaves, you will find it is bitter
but not unpleasant.