Rumex mexicanus
Rumex obovatus
Mexican dock, Mexican willow, Mexican willow or dock
obovate-leaf dock, tropical dock
erect or ascending, usually producing axillary shoots below 1st-order inflorescence or at proximal nodes, 30–60(–90) cm.
erect, branched distal to middle or in distal 2/3, 20–40(–70) cm.
blades light green to yellowish green, linear-lanceolate, occasionally lanceolate, 6–14 × 1–3.5(–4) cm, usually ca. 5–7 times as long as wide, widest near middle, thin, not coriaceous, base cuneate, margins entire, flat or undulate, apex acute or attenuate.
ocrea deciduous or partially persistent at maturity;
blade usually distinctly obovate, widest distal to middle, rarely weakly panduriform, 4–7(–11) × 2–5 cm, less than 4 times as long as wide, coriaceous, base cuneate, rarely almost truncate, margins entire, flat, rarely slightly undulate, apex obtuse or rounded.
terminal and axillary, terminal usually occupying distal 1/5–1/3 of stem, rather dense or interrupted in proximal 1/2, usually broadly paniculate (branches simple or with few 2d-order branches).
terminal, occupying distal 1/2 of stem, usually lax, occasionally rather dense, interrupted in basal 1/2, broadly paniculate, branches usually straight, unbranched, forming angle of 45° with 1st-order stem, leafy almost to top.
articulated in proximal 1/3 or almost near base, filiform (thickened distally), 4–7 mm, not more than 2–2.5 times as long as inner tepals, articulation indistinctly swollen.
articulated in proximal 1/3, thickened, 3–5 mm, articulation distinctly swollen.
10–20 in whorls;
inner tepals broadly ovate-triangular, occasionally broadly triangular, 3.5–4.5(–5) × 3.5–4(–5) mm, base truncate or indistinctly cordate, margins entire or indistinctly erose, apex obtuse or subacute;
tubercles 3, equal or subequal (much narrower than inner tepals).
10–20 in rather dense whorls;
inner tepals ovate-triangular or triangular-deltoid, 4–5(–5.5) × 2.4–3 mm (excluding teeth), ca. 1.5 times as long as wide, base truncate, margins distinctly dentate, apex acute to subacute, straight, teeth 3–5, normally at each side of margins, narrowly triangular or subulate, straight, 0.4–2.5 mm, equaling or shorter than width of inner tepals;
tubercles usually 3, equal or subequal, apex obtuse, distinctly verrucose.
brown or dark reddish brown, 2–3 × 1.5–2 mm.
brown, 2.3–2.8(–3) × 1.4–1.8 mm.
= 40.
Rumex mexicanus
Rumex obovatus
Some authors recognize Rumex mexicanus in the broad sense, including in it many other taxa treated here as separate entities. For consistency, the entities of the R. salicifolius aggregate that are recognized herein are kept separate pending additional taxonomic research.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Rumex obovatus is morphologically uniform. Individuals with panduriform leaves may be mistaken for R. pulcher, which is distinguished from R. obovatus by its less leathery leaves with subcordate to truncate (not distinctly cuneate) bases, usually more-spreading inflorescence branches, and perennial habit. Rumex obovatus was reported for Louisiana by J. W. Thieret (1969c), who followed determinations by K. H. Rechinger. It is known also from Florida and may be expected in adjacent coastal states. Thieret mentioned that one of his collections was made “within 150 feet of the Texas border.”
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
LA Plants
