Sorrel is a slender herbaceous perennial plant about 60 centimetres (24 in) high, with roots that run deep into the ground, as well as juicy stems and edible, arrow-shaped (sagittate) leaves. The leaves, when consumed raw, taste like a sour green apple candy.ommon sorrel or garden sorrel (Rumex acetosa), often simply called sorrel, is a perennial herb in the family Polygonaceae.
Of all the essential nutrients, nitrogen is required by plants in the largest quantity and is most frequently the limiting factor in crop productivity. 1  In plant tissue, the nitrogen content ranges from 1 and 6%.
Excessive plant growth Phosphorus is often the nutrient that limits how much plant growth occurs in a stream, lake or reservoir. Adding a small amount of phosphorus, therefore, may cause excess plant growth. Sometimes these plants are large and grow from the lake bottoms in shallow areas.n most streams and lakes, phosphorus or nitrogen limits plant growth. Adding more of the limiting nutrient, in fact, can stimulate too much plant growth, which starts a chain of events that may eventually deplete oxygen from the water and kill fish and other aquatic animals.