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heartwing dock, heartwing sorrel, wild dock, wild sorrel

Arizona dock, canaigre, canaigre dock, cañaigre dock, wild-rhubarb

Habit Plants annual or short-lived perennial, glabrous, with vertical rootstock. Plants perennial, glabrous or indistinctly papillose-pubescent, with distinctly tuberous roots and short rhizomes.
Stems

solitary or several from base, erect or ascending, branched in distal 2/3 (in inflorescence), 10–40(–45) cm.

usually erect, rarely ascending, branched above middle, 25–90(–100) cm.

Leaves

blade obovate-oblong, ovate-lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate, or lanceolate; 2–6(–10) × 0.5–2 cm, base hastate (with spreading lobes), auriculate, or occasionally without evident lobes, margins entire, flat, apex obtuse or subacute.

ocrea prominent and persistent at maturity, whitish or silvery white, membranous;

blade oblong, oblong-elliptic, or obovate-lanceolate, (5–)8–30 × 2–8(–12) cm, base cuneate or narrowly cuneate, margins entire, flat or indistinctly crisped, apex acute or acuminate, rarely obtuse.

Inflorescences

terminal, occupying distal 2/3 of stem, usually lax and interrupted, narrowly paniculate.

terminal, occupying distal 1/2 of stem, narrowly paniculate, rarely simple.

Pedicels

articulated in proximal part, filiform, 1.5–2.5(–3) mm, articulation indistinct or slightly swollen.

articulated near middle or in proximal 1/3, filiform, 5–15(–20) mm, articulation indistinct.

Flowers

3–6(–8) in whorls;

inner tepals orbiculate or broadly ovate, 2.5–3.2 × 2.7–3.2 mm, base broadly cordate or rounded, apex obtuse or subacute;

tubercles absent or some inner tepals with slightly swollen central veins.

5–20 in whorls;

inner tepals oblong-cordate or orbiculate-cordate, 11–16 × 9.5–14 mm, base sinuate or emarginate, margins entire, rarely with few extremely small denticles at base, apex obtuse or subacute;

tubercles absent.

Achenes

brown or dark brown, 0.9–1.2 × 0.6–0.8 mm.

brown or reddish brown, 4–5(–7) × 2.5–4.5(–5) mm.

2n

= 8 (pistillate plants), 9 (staminate plants), 10 (both sexes).

= 40.

Rumex hastatulus

Rumex hymenosepalus

Phenology Flowering spring–summer. Flowering spring.
Habitat Dry to moist alluvial and ruderal habitats, river valleys, sandy plains, meadows, waste places Sandy and rocky places: plains, slopes, stream beds, alkaline soils
Elevation 0-500 m (0-1600 ft) 0-1700(-2000) m (0-5600(-6600) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NY; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; MT; NM; NV; OK; TX; UT; WY; Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Rumex hastatulus is distinct in subg. Acetosa and belongs to the monotypic subsect. Americanae Á. Löve & N. Sarkar. It is represented by at least two chromosome races: populations occurring from North Carolina to Florida and Mississippi normally have 2n = 8 in pistillate plants and 2n = 9 in staminate plants; populations from Louisiana to Texas and Oklahoma predominantly have 2n = 10 in both sexes. Rumex hastatulus has been reported from New Mexico (W. C. Martin and C. R. Hutchins 1980, vol. 1), but those records need confirmation. When fruiting, R. hastatulus has large inner tepals that distinguish it from R. acetosella, with which it is occasionally confused.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Rumex hymenosepalus is the only species of subsect. Hymenosepali Rechinger f.

Two varieties have been recognized. The typical variety has achenes 5 mm and ovate-elliptic or oblong-cordate inner tepals with a subacute apex. Variety salinus (A. Nelson) Rechinger f. has larger achenes (to 7 mm) and almost orbiculate inner tepals with an obtuse apex.

Rumex hymenosepalus was reported also from Montana (J. E. Dawson 1979), but no exact localities were given.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 502. FNA vol. 5, p. 515.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Rumex > subg. Acetosa Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Rumex > subg. Rumex > sect. Rumex
Sibling taxa
R. acetosa, R. acetosella, R. alpinus, R. altissimus, R. arcticus, R. beringensis, R. britannica, R. brownii, R. bucephalophorus, R. californicus, R. chrysocarpus, R. confertus, R. conglomeratus, R. crassus, R. crispus, R. cristatus, R. cuneifolius, R. densiflorus, R. dentatus, R. ellipticus, R. fascicularis, R. floridanus, R. fueginus, R. graminifolius, R. hesperius, R. hymenosepalus, R. kerneri, R. krausei, R. lacustris, R. lapponicus, R. longifolius, R. maritimus, R. mexicanus, R. nematopodus, R. obovatus, R. obtusifolius, R. occidentalis, R. orthoneurus, R. pallidus, R. palustris, R. paraguayensis, R. patientia, R. paucifolius, R. persicarioides, R. praecox, R. pseudonatronatus, R. pulcher, R. pycnanthus, R. salicifolius, R. sanguineus, R. sibiricus, R. spiralis, R. stenophyllus, R. subarcticus, R. thyrsiflorus, R. tomentellus, R. transitorius, R. triangulivalvis, R. utahensis, R. venosus, R. verticillatus, R. violascens
R. acetosa, R. acetosella, R. alpinus, R. altissimus, R. arcticus, R. beringensis, R. britannica, R. brownii, R. bucephalophorus, R. californicus, R. chrysocarpus, R. confertus, R. conglomeratus, R. crassus, R. crispus, R. cristatus, R. cuneifolius, R. densiflorus, R. dentatus, R. ellipticus, R. fascicularis, R. floridanus, R. fueginus, R. graminifolius, R. hastatulus, R. hesperius, R. kerneri, R. krausei, R. lacustris, R. lapponicus, R. longifolius, R. maritimus, R. mexicanus, R. nematopodus, R. obovatus, R. obtusifolius, R. occidentalis, R. orthoneurus, R. pallidus, R. palustris, R. paraguayensis, R. patientia, R. paucifolius, R. persicarioides, R. praecox, R. pseudonatronatus, R. pulcher, R. pycnanthus, R. salicifolius, R. sanguineus, R. sibiricus, R. spiralis, R. stenophyllus, R. subarcticus, R. thyrsiflorus, R. tomentellus, R. transitorius, R. triangulivalvis, R. utahensis, R. venosus, R. verticillatus, R. violascens
Synonyms Acetosa hastatula, R. engelmannii R. arizonicus, R. hymenosepalus var. salinus, R. salinus, R. saxei
Name authority Baldwin: in S. Elliott, Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 1: 416. (1817) Torrey: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 177. (1859)
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