Rumex crispus
Rumex fueginus
curled dock, curly dock, patience crépue, reguette, rumex crépu, sour dock, yellow dock
American golden dock, American golden or Tierra Del Fuego dock, golden dock, seaside dock, Tierra Del Fuego dock
erect, branched distal to middle, 40–100(–150) cm.
erect (some dwarf alluvial forms may be with ascending or almost prostrate branches), branched in distal 2/3, occasionally almost near base, (4–)15–60(–70) cm.
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 mostly partially persistent at maturity;
blade lanceolate or lanceolate-linear, rarely oblong-lanceolate, (3–)5–25(–30) × (1–)1.5–3(–4) cm, more than 4 times as long as wide, base abruptly truncate, slightly cordate, or rarely broadly cuneate, margins entire or subentire to obscurely repand, normally undulate and crisped, apex acute very rarely subobtuse.
terminal, occupying distal 1/2 of stem, dense or interrupted at base, narrowly to broadly paniculate, branches usually straight or arcuate.
terminal, occupying distal 1/2 of stem (occasionally most of stem), usually reddish brown or red (greenish yellow when mature), usually rather dense, interrupted in proximal part, broadly paniculate.
articulated in proximal 1/3, filiform, (3–)4–8 mm, articulation distinctly swollen.
articulated near base or at least in proximal 1/3, filiform, 3–7(–9) mm, articulation weakly evident, occasionally indistinctly swollen.
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.
15–30 (occasionally more) in rather dense whorls;
inner tepals narrowly triangular or narrowly rhombic-triangular, 1.5–2.5 × 0.7–0.9(–1.2) mm (excluding teeth), normally ca. 2 times as long as wide, base truncate or broadly cuneate, margins usually prominently dentate, rarely with shorter teeth, or almost entire, apex acute, straight, teeth 2–3, at each side of margins, subulate-filiform, bristlelike, straight, 1–3 mm, usually 1.5–2.5(–4) times as long as width of inner tepals;
tubercles 3, brownish or reddish, linear-lanceolate to fusiform, equal or subequal, rarely unequal, distinctly narrower than inner tepals, ca. 0.5 times as wide as inner tepals or less, apex acute or subacute, usually distinctly reticulate-pitted (especially in herbarium specimens).
usually reddish brown, 2–3 × 1.5–2 mm.
light brown, 1.1–1.4 × 0.6–0.8 mm.
= 60.
= 40.
Rumex crispus
Rumex fueginus
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 fueginus, in spite of its similarities to R. maritimus, is more closely related to R. persicarioides. Specimens of R. fueginus often are misidentified as R. maritimus, and the name R. persicarioides has been applied to R. fueginus. This confusion obscures distribution patterns among members of the aggregrate.
Several varieties have been described based mostly on teeth variation. These taxa appear to have little taxonomic significance, with the possible exception of var. athrix (St. John) Rechinger f., which has entire or subentire inner tepals and occurs in arid regions of the southwestern United States (H. St. John 1915; K. H. Rechinger 1937).
Rumex fueginus is known in Europe as an uncommon, casual alien.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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- Local floras: BC, CA, OR
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- WildflowerSearch
- iNaturalist (observations)
- USDA Plants Database
- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
