Rumex crispus |
Rumex conglomeratus |
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curled dock, curly dock, patience crépue, reguette, rumex crépu, sour dock, yellow dock |
cluster dock, cluster or cluster green dock, green dock, sharp dock |
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Habit | Plants perennial, occasionally biennial, glabrous or very indistinctly papillose normally only on veins of leaf blades abaxially, with fusiform, vertical rootstock. | Plants perennial, normally glabrous, rarely very indistinctly papillose on veins of leaf blades abaxially, with fusiform, vertical rootstock. |
Stems | erect, branched distal to middle, 40–100(–150) cm. |
erect, branched in distal 2/3 (sometimes with few flowering stems from rootstock), 30–80(–120) cm. |
Leaves | ocrea deciduous, rarely partially persistent at maturity; blade lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate-linear, normally 15–30(–35) × 2–6 cm, base cuneate, truncate, or weakly cordate, margins entire to subentire, strongly crisped and undulate, apex acute. |
ocrea deciduous to partially persistent at maturity; blade oblong-lanceolate, obovate-lanceolate, or lanceolate, normally (5–)10–30 × 2.5–6 cm, base broadly cuneate, rounded, or truncate, rarely subcordate, margins entire, flat to very weakly undulate, apex subacute, occasionally obtuse. |
Inflorescences | terminal, occupying distal 1/2 of stem, dense or interrupted at base, narrowly to broadly paniculate, branches usually straight or arcuate. |
terminal, occupying distal 2/3 of stem, lax, interrupted, broadly paniculate, branches simple or nearly so, almost all but distalmost whorls with subtending leaves; panicle leafy at least in proximal 2/3 of length. |
Pedicels | articulated in proximal 1/3, filiform, (3–)4–8 mm, articulation distinctly swollen. |
articulated in proximal 1/3 or occasionally near middle, filiform, 1–4(–5) mm, ca. as long as inner tepals or slightly longer, articulation distinctly swollen. |
Flowers | 10–25 in whorls; inner tepals orbiculate-ovate or ovate-deltoid, 3.5–6 × 3–5 mm, base truncate or subcordate, margins entire or subentire to very weakly erose, flat, apex obtuse or subacute; tubercles normally 3, rarely 1 or 2, unequal, at least 1 distinctly larger, more than (1–)1.5 mm wide. |
10–20 in dense remote whorls; inner tepals oblong-lanceolate, oblong, or lingulate, 2–3 × 1–1.6(–2) mm, ca. 2 times as long as wide, base cuneate or truncate, margins entire, apex obtuse; tubercles 3, equal or subequal, largest tubercle almost as wide as inner tepal. |
Achenes | usually reddish brown, 2–3 × 1.5–2 mm. |
usually dark reddish brown, 1.5–1.8 × 1–1.4 mm. |
2n | = 60. |
= 20. |
Rumex crispus |
Rumex conglomeratus |
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Phenology | Flowering late spring–early fall. | Flowering early summer–early fall. |
Habitat | Very broad range of ruderal, segetal, and seminatural habitats, disturbed soil, waste places, cultivated fields, roadsides, meadows, shores of water bodies, edges of woods | Marshes, wet meadows, shores, alluvial woods, ditches, wet waste places |
Elevation | 0-2500 m (0-8200 ft) | 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; SPM; Eurasia [Introduced in North America; introduced almost worldwide]
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AL; AR; AZ; CA; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MO; MS; NC; NY; OK; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WA; WV; BC; Europe; w Asia; sw Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced elsewhere]
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Discussion | Rumex crispus (belonging to subsect. Crispi Rechinger f.; see K. H. Rechinger 1937) is the most widespread and ecologically successful species of the genus, occuring almost worldwide as a completely naturalized and sometimes invasive alien. It has not been reported from Greenland, but it probably occurs there. Rumex crispus hybridizes with many other species of subg. Rumex. Hybrids with R. obtusifolius (Rumex ×pratensis Mertens & Koch) are the most common in the genus, at least in Europe, and have been reported for several localities in North America. Rumex crispus × R. patientia (Rumex ×confusus Simonkai) was reported from New York. According to R. S. Mitchell (1986, p. 47), “this hybrid is now spreading along highway shoulders, and it has replaced R. crispus in some local areas.” However, that information should be confirmed by more detailed studies since spontaneous hybrids between species of sect. Rumex usually are much less fertile and ecologically successful than the parental species. Hybrids of Rumex occuring in North America need careful revision. Numerous infraspecific taxa and even segregate species have been described in the Rumex crispus aggregate. Many seem to represent minor variation of little or no taxonomic significance, but some are geographically delimited entities that may deserve recognition as subspecies or varieties. The typical variety has inner tepals with three well-developed tubercles; the less common var. unicallosus Petermann, with one tubercle, occurs sporadically in North America. Some eastern Asian plants differ from typical Rumex crispus is having somewhat smaller inner tepals, longer pedicels, lax inflorescences with remote whorls, and narrower leaves that are almost flat or indistinctly undulate at the margins. These plants, originally described as R. fauriei Rechinger f., are now treated as R. crispus subsp. fauriei (Rechinger f.) Mosyakin & W. L. Wagner; the subspecies was recently reported from Hawaii (S. L. Mosyakin and W. L. Wagner 1998) and may be expected as introduced in western North America. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Rumex conglomeratus often is confused with immature specimens of R. obtusifolius, as well as with other species (e.g., R. sanguineus). Its distribution in North America is insufficiently known, and some literature records may refer to R. obtusifolius. Rumex conglomeratus and R. sanguineus were placed in subsect. Conglomerati Rechinger f. (K. H. Rechinger 1937). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 522. | FNA vol. 5, p. 524. |
Parent taxa | Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Rumex > subg. Rumex > sect. Rumex | Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Rumex > subg. Rumex > sect. Rumex |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Lapathum crispum | R. acutus |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 335. (1753) | Murray: Prodr. Stirp. Gott., 52. (1770) |
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