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Side by side
What tells them apart
Both have arrow-shaped leaves. Sorrel's is thin, matt and lemony; arum's is thick, glossy and burns at once. Anyone gathering sorrel for salad must know this by heart.
Confusion that kills
How to tell it
A thick glossy arrowhead leaf, often with strongly marked pale veins. The flower is a greenish spike inside a sheath, and in summer only the spike of red berries remains.
How to tell it
An arrowhead leaf with the two basal lobes pointing downwards. A spike of reddish flowers in summer. An immediate, clean sour taste.