I've read that Sorrel is a permaculture green, but an anual, how does it come back?

Question

How does sorrel come back every year if you pick it all, when people say it's an annual?

Answer 1

Some things are annuals in some places (usually colder) and perennials in other places. And some people say things that are not strictly true. Tomatoes are perennials - in the tropics, or in a heated greenhouse. But we treat them as annuals in the colder regions, normally.

I find "French sorrel" to be an unreliable perennial in my garden - I will get a few survivors, but they don't all survive. French tarragon is similar, though actually better at surviving in general for me.

A seed company describes it as a perennial, but also says zone 6-10, so not surprising that it expires in zone 4/5 many times. Much permaculture literature is from balmy climes, I have noticed.

Some are annuals that reliably self-seed.

Wood sorrel is one of those, and has largely taken over the "sorrel" role for me as a result. I don't use a huge amount of it and have so far not been noticeably impacted by its oxalic acid content (which regular French sorrel has as well, I note the seed company claimed theirs had been bred for "low oxalic acid content" though I don't know what the relative amounts might be.