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Publication #SP 37

Curly Dock, Rumex crispus L.1

David W. Hall, Vernon V. Vandiver and Brent A. Sellers2

Classification

    • Common Name: Curly Dock

    • Scientific Name: Rumex crispus L.

Family: Polygonaceae, Buckwheat Family

Seedling

The cotyledon blades are oblong tapering to the base, dull green and slightly fleshy (Figure 1). The midvein is indistinct as a slight depression in the basal portion of the upper surface. The leaves are alternate, wavy on the margins and covered with a distinct grandular coating. The petioles are flat and joined at the base into a tube-like, white to brown, papery sheath.

Figure 1. 

Seedling, Curly Dock, Rumex crispus L.

Mature Plant

Curly dock is a stout perennial with a tap root (Figure 2). These plants can become 1.6 m high and are relatively unbranched below the flowers. The leaf margins are curled and wavy. The basal leaves are 5-36 cm long and 2-12 cm wide. The flowering portion at the top of the plant has many dense flower clusters. There are six green sepals (three large and three small). The flower stalk is at least as long as, or up to 1.5 times longer than, the larger sepals. There are no petals. As the flowers mature the innermost sepals develop into three papery wings, each with a swelling or growth. One of the three growths is larger than the other two. The three sepals which are approximately 3.5-6 mm long enclose a small dry 3-sided fruit.

Figure 2. 

Mature plant, Curly Dock, Rumex crispus L.

History

The genus name Rumex is the Latin name which was used for this plant. The Latin species name crispus means curled and refers to the leaf margins.

Habitat

This weed is usually found on seasonally moist ground throughout the United States and Canada. It is a native of Eurasia.

Biology

Light and/or alternating temperatures are required for optimal germination. Ethylene gas has been found to increase germination in the light, but not in the dark. Exogenous gibberellin, GA3 and AC-94377 (a substituted pthalimide) promotes germination of the seeds in the dark. Feeding by insects causes a build-up of anthocyanin, which results in red speckling on the leaves. Leave may also appear red or have a red tinge under cool conditions.

Footnotes

1.

This document is an excerpt from Weeds in Florida, SP 37, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: May 1991. Revised: March 2006. Please visit the EDIS Website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

David W. Hall, former extension botanist, Herbarium, Florida Museum of Natural History; Vernon V. Vandiver, associate professor emeritus, Agronomy Department; Brent A. Sellers, assistant professor, Agronomy Department, Range Cattle Research and Education Center--Ona, FL; Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.