DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Rumex acetosella | Sheep Sorrel 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Sheep sorrel is a forb of Eurasian origin that has naturalized
throughout temperate North America with the possible exceptions of
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and the northern Canadian provinces
[46,75,95].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   Sheep sorrel is found in nearly all FRES ecosystems. 


STATES : 
     AK  AZ  AR  CA  CO  CT  DE  FL  GA  HI
     ID  IL  IN  IA  KS  KY  ME  MD  MA  MI
     MN  MO  MT  NE  NV  NH  NJ  NM  NY  NC
     ND  OH  OK  OR  PA  RI  SC  SD  TN  TX
     UT  VT  VA  WA  WV  WI  WY  AB  BC  MB
     NB  NS  ON  PQ  SK


ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : 
     ACAD  ALPO  ANTI  APIS  ARPO  ASIS
     BAND  BITH  BLCA  BLRI  CACO  CATO
     CHIS  CHOH  CHCH  CLBA  COSW  CRLA
     CUGA  CUVA  EFMO  FIIS  FOCL  FONE
     FRHI  GATE  GETT  GOGA  GRSM  GWCA
     HALE  HAFE  HAVO  INDU  ISRO  JOFL
     LACL  LAVO  LIBO  MACA  MOCR  MORR
     MORA  NEPE  NOCA  OBRI  OLYM  ORCA
     OZAR  PIRO  PORE  PRWI  REDW  RICH
     ROCR  ROMO  SAGA  SAJH  SAMO  SARA
     SHEN  SHIL  SITK  SLBE  VOYA  WICR
     YELL  YOSE  ZION


BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
    1  Northern Pacific Border
    2  Cascade Mountains
    3  Southern Pacific Border
    4  Sierra Mountains
    5  Columbia Plateau
    6  Upper Basin and Range
    8  Northern Rocky Mountains
    9  Middle Rocky Mountains
   10  Wyoming Basin
   11  Southern Rocky Mountains
   12  Colorado Plateau
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont
   14  Great Plains
   15  Black Hills Uplift
   16  Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY


SAF COVER TYPES : 
   Sheep sorrel is found in nearly all SAF Cover Types.  


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
   101  Bluebunch wheatgrass
   102  Idaho fescue
   103  Green fescue
   108  Alpine Idaho fescue
   110  Ponderosa pine-grassland
   201  Blue oak woodland
   203  Riparian woodland
   204  North coastal shrub
   215  Valley grassland
   216  Montane meadows
   304  Idaho fescue-bluebunch wheatgrass
   409  Tall forb
   411  Aspen woodland
   601  Bluestem prairie
   804  Tall fescue
   809  Mixed hardwood and pine


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
Sheep sorrel occurs mainly in grassland, mixed-grass prairie, and
montane meadow communities of western North America, but is also common
in forested communities throughout temperate North America.  

Sheep sorrel is common in floodplain and riparian habitats.  In western
Washington sheep sorrel is found on gravel bars and floodplains
dominated by Scouler willow (Salix scouleriana).  Other associates
include Virginia strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), velvetgrass (Holcus
lanatus), white clover (Trifolium repens), curly dock (Rumex crispus),
and bog rush (Juncus effusus) [20].  In Oregon sheep sorrel occurs in a
riparian mountain meadow community dominated by cheatgrass (Bromus
tectorum) [45].  In California sheep sorrel occurs in a freshwater marsh
community dominated by tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), sedge (Carex
spp.), and narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) [18].

Sheep sorrel is commonly found in old fields, annual grassland, and
montane meadow communities.  In Connecticut sheep sorrel occurs in a
postagricultural little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grassland.
Associates include redtop (Agrostis alba) and yellow sedge (Carex
pensylvanica) [69].  In New Jersey sheep sorrel is a member of an
old-field plant community dominated by Canada goldenrod (Solidago
canadensis) [9].  Sheep sorrel is commonly found in southern Appalachian
grassy bald communities dominated by mountain oatgrass (Danthonia
compressa).  Other associates include thornless blackberry (Rubus
canadensis), hillside blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum), and violet (Viola
spp.) [56,60].  In Indiana sheep sorrel occurs in a litte bluestem
community with hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) and smooth horsetail
(Equisetum laevigatum) [81].  In Montana sheep sorrel occurs in
mixed-grass prairie communities [86].

In California sheep sorrel is common in annual grassland, montane
meadow, and perennial bunchgrass communities.  Associates include ripgut
brome (Bromus rigidus), soft chess (B. hordeaceus), silver hairgrass
(Aira caryophyllea), Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratense), Sandberg
bluegrass (P. nevadensis), Italian thistle (Carduus pycnocephalus), wild
oat (Avena fatua), and Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum)
[8,12,18,61].  

At Point Reyes National Seashore, California, sheep sorrel occurs in a
coastal grassland community with coast rock cress (Arabis
blepharophylla), poison-oak (Toxicodendron diversiloba), California
barberry (Berberis pinnata), and the endangered Sonoma spineflower
(Chorizanthe valida) [11,12].

Sheep sorrel is a common understory species in forested habitats
throughout North America.  In Pennsylvania sheep sorrel occurs in
eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)-poverty oatgrass (D. spicata)
communities; associates include Canada goldenrod, fireweed (Epilobium
angustifolium), whorled yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia),
Virginia springbeauty (Claytonia virginica), trout lily (Erythronium
americanum), mountain wood sorrel (Oxalis montana), and violet
[3,49,93].  In Alberta sheep sorrel is a member of an 80-year-old white
spruce (Picea glauca)-jack pine (Pinus banksiana)-feathermoss
(Pleurozium spp.)  community [21].  In Idaho sheep sorrel occurs in
grand fir (Abies grandis)/wild ginger (Asarum caudatum), grand
fir/pachistima (Pachistima myrsinites), and grand fir/ninebark
(Physocarpus malvaceus) habitat types [30,53,54,99].  In California
sheep sorrel occurs in redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Douglas-fir
(Pseudotsuga menziesii), and Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana)
habitats [22,50,83].

In Montana and Wyoming, sheep sorrel is found in alpine tundra
environments [94].  

Related categories for Species: Rumex acetosella | Sheep Sorrel