Rumex crispus
Rumex violascens
curled dock, curly dock, patience crépue, reguette, rumex crépu, sour dock, yellow dock
Mexican dock, violet dock
erect, branched distal to middle, 40–100(–150) cm.
erect, branched above middle, 25–75 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 deciduous or partially persistent at maturity;
blade oblong-lanceolate to obovate-elliptic, 6–12(–15) × (2–)3–4(–5) cm, less than 4 times as long as wide, not coriaceous, occasionally subcoriaceous, base broadly cuneate or rounded, occasionally truncate, margins entire, flat or, rarely, weakly undulate, apex obtuse, rarely subacute.
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, usually lax, interrupted, broadly paniculate;
branches usually distinctly arcuate and flexuous.
articulated in proximal 1/3, filiform, (3–)4–8 mm, articulation distinctly swollen.
articulated in proximal 1/3, filiform, 3–8 mm, articulation distinctly 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.
10–20 in rather dense remote whorls;
inner tepals deltoid or triangular-deltoid, 2.5–3.7(–4) × 2–2.8(–3) mm (excluding teeth), ca. 1.5 times as long as wide, base truncate, margins dentate or rarely subentire, apex acute to subacute, teeth 2–3, normally at each side of margins, triangular, 0.2–0.5 mm;
tubercles 3, unequal or, occasionally, subequal, normally less than 2 times as wide as inner tepals.
usually reddish brown, 2–3 × 1.5–2 mm.
brown or reddish brown, 1.8–2.3 × 1.2–1.5 mm.
= 60.
= 20.
Rumex crispus
Rumex violascens
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.)
The name Rumex berlandieri was misapplied to this species by some botanists who followed W. D. Trelease (1892).
This native species is poorly known taxonomically; it probably is distantly related to Rumex obovatus and R. paraguayensis. Rumex flexicaulis Rechinger f., a species possibly conspecific with R. violascens, occurs in Mexico.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
LA Plants, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria, 
SW CO Wildflowers, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
