You are here
Magnoliopsida
Rumex obtusifolius L.
EOL Text
The non-native Bitter Dock is a fairly common plant that occurs in the majority of counties in Illinois; it is least common in the NW and north central areas of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats include moist woodland edges, seeps, semi-shaded areas along streams, gardens and edges of yards, areas along buildings, vacant lots, roadside ditches, and waste areas. Bitter Dock is native to Eurasia and prefers disturbed areas. Faunal Associations
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/bitter_dock.htm |
Canada
Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Rumex+obtusifolius |
Canada
Origin: Exotic
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Unknown/Undetermined
Confidence: Confident
United States
Origin: Exotic
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Unknown/Undetermined
Confidence: Confident
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Rumex+obtusifolius |
Rounded Global Status Rank: GNR - Not Yet Ranked
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Rumex+obtusifolius |
introduced; Greenland; St. Pierre and Miquelon; B.C., N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que.; Ala., Alaska, Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Conn., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., Nebr., N.H., N.J., N.Mex., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Okla., Oreg., Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Utah, Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis.; Europe; w Asia; introduced elsewhere.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242345760 |
The preference is full or partial sun, moist to mesic conditions, and a loamy fertile soil. This robust plant will grow readily in less favorable situations, but it will be smaller in size. It can tolerate temporary flooding and is more often in partially shaded situations than many other Rumex spp. (Docks). The seeds of Docks can persist in the ground for several decades and remain viable.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/bitter_dock.htm |
Anhui, Gansu, Hebei, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Sichuan, Taiwan, Zhejiang [Japan, Russia; N Africa, Europe; introduced and naturalized in North America and other regions of the world].
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=242345760 |
Rumex obtusifolius, commonly known as broad-leaved dock, bitter dock, bluntleaf dock, dock leaf or butter dock, is a perennial weed in the family Polygonaceae. It is native to Europe but can now be found in the United States and many other countries around the world.
Contents
Description[edit]
Rumex obtusifolius is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant that grows to a height of 50 to 130 cm (20 to 51 in). It is easily recognizable by its very large oval leaves with cordate bases and rounded tips, some of the lower leaves having red stems. The edges of the leaves are slightly "crisped" or wavy, the upper surface is hairless and the under surface may be papillose. The leaves of this plant can grow to about 40 cm (16 in) in length. The stems are tough, often reddish, and unbranched until just below the inflorescence. The junctions of the petioles with the stems are covered by a sheath formed by two fused stipules known as an ocrea, a thin, paper-like membrane - a characteristic of the Polygonaceae family. The stem leaves are alternate and are narrowly ovate–lanceolate. The inflorescence consists of large clusters of racemes which contain small greenish flowers that change to red as they mature. The perianth-segments are in two whorls of three. Segments in the outer whorl are small and spreading while the inner whorl forms fruit valves, which are widely ovately-triangular. The seeds produced are dry and reddish-brown. This plant blooms June through September.[1]
Rumex crispus - curly dock - is very similar in appearance but with thinner and wavier leaves. In more detail, the calyx of curly dock has smooth margins while the calyx of broadleaf dock has horned margins.
Distribution and habitat[edit]
Rumex obtusifolius is widely distributed throughout the world. It is a plant of arable land, meadows, waste ground, roadsides, ditches and shorelines.[1]
Seedlings can be identified by the oval leaves with red stems and rolled leaves sprouting from the center of the plant.
Medicinal uses of the herb[edit]
The 'milk' of the dock leaf is known to contain tannins and oxalic acid, which is an astringent.[2]
Broadleaf dock leaves have been used to soothe burns, blisters, and nettle stings. A tea prepared from the root was thought to cure boils.[3]
Other historical uses[edit]
In George Eliot's Adam Bede, set in the early 19th century, broad dock leaves are used to wrap farmhouse butter.[4]
Eradication[edit]
Broadleaf dock is considered a weed and is slightly poisonous. It is designated an "injurious weed" under the UK Weeds Act 1959.[5] Livestock have been known to get sick after feeding on it. But eradicating the plants is difficult. The perennial plant can have a deep taproot reaching 5 feet down. Also, the milk of the plant has been known to cause mild dermatitis.
Seeds have toothed wing structures, allowing them to be dispersed by wind or water, and also allow them to attach to animals or machinery to be spread great distances. They can lie dormant for years before germination, making vigilant pulling or tilling essential.
First year plants can seed, making early detection important for eradication.
The main weaknesses of Broadleaf are its poor competition, crowding causes flowering to be delayed for up to three years, and its susceptibility to disturbance. Frequent tilling will disrupt the roots and kill the older plants and seedlings. The plant also thrives in moist environments and improved drainage can also help control its growth.[citation needed]
It has also been an invasive species of the Great lakes region of North America where it was first sighted in 1840.[6]
References[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rumex obtusifolius. |
Wikispecies has information related to: Rumex obtusifolius |
- ^ a b "Broad-leaved Dock: Rumex obtusifolius". NatureGate. Retrieved 2013-12-30.
- ^ Rumex. Yellow dock, Curled dock. Rumex crispus, Rumex obtusifolius. | Henriette's Herbal Homepage
- ^ Ohio Perennial and Biennial Weed Guide
- ^ Eliot, George (1859). Adam Bede (Modern Library, 2002); p93-94.
- ^ http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/wildlife/weeds/
- ^ "List of Invasive species in the Great Lakes Great Lakes United / Union Saint-Laurent Grands Lacs". Retrieved 2009-02-07.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rumex_obtusifolius&oldid=643725451 |
VI, VIII, IX, X, XI
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Pablo Gutierrez, IABIN |
Source | No source database. |
Rumex obtusifolius, a member of subsect. Obtusifolii Rechinger f. (K. H. Rechinger 1937), is a polymorphic species represented in Eurasia by three or four rather distinct races often treated by European authors as subspecies or varieties. These taxa differ mostly in inner tepal dentation and geographic distribution. In North America the morphotypes often intergrade. In Eurasia this species is differentiated into predominantly western subsp. obtusifolius [including R. obtusifolius subsp. agrestis (Fries) Danser], eastern subsp. sylvestris (Wallroth) Rechinger f., intermediate central European subsp. transiens (Simonkai) Rechinger f., and montane subsp. subalpinus (Schur) Simonkai. Only subspp. obtusifolius and sylvestris occur in North America; the former seems to be more common. Subspecies obtusifolius differs from subsp. sylvestris in having larger and more prominently dentate inner tepals with one tubercle, or with three distinctly unequal tubercles; in subsp. sylvestris the teeth are usually less than 0.6 mm, developing only near the base of the inner tepals, and the tubercles often almost subequal.
Rumex obtusifolius may be expected elsewhere in the Great Plains region of the United States and Canada.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242345760 |