Rumex mexicanus |
Rumex pallidus |
|
---|---|---|
Mexican dock, Mexican willow, Mexican willow or dock |
seabeach dock, seaside dock, seaside or pale willow dock |
|
Habit | Plants perennial, glabrous; with vertical rootstock, occasionally with short, creeping rhizomes. | Plants perennial, glabrous, with vertical rootstock, occasionally with short-creeping rhizomes. |
Stems | erect or ascending, usually producing axillary shoots below 1st-order inflorescence or at proximal nodes, 30–60(–90) cm. |
ascending or erect occasionally almost procumbent, usually producing axillary shoots below 1st-order inflorescence or at proximal nodes, 30–60(–80) cm. |
Leaf | 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. |
blades linear-lanceolate, 10–20(–22) × 1–3.5(–4.5) mm, usually ca. 7–10 times as long as wide, widest near middle, thick, coriaceous, base cuneate, margins entire, flat or slightly undulate, apex acute. |
Inflorescences | 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 and axillary, terminal usually occupying distal 1/5–1/3 of stem, rather dense or interrupted in proximal 1/2, usually broadly paniculate (distal branches simple, proximal ones usually with few 2d-order branches). |
Pedicels | 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 or almost near base, filiform, 4–6 mm, not more than 2–2.5 times as long as inner tepals, articulation indistinctly swollen. |
Flowers | 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 whorls; inner tepals, broadly ovate-triangular or almost deltoid, occasionally broadly triangular, (2.5–)3–4 × 2–3.5 mm, base truncate or round, occasionally indistinctly cordate, margins entire or indistinctly erose, apex obtuse or subacute; tubercles 3, equal or subequal, all tubercles, or at least largest tubercle pale, subequal to inner tepals or slightly narrower than inner tepals, often minutely verrucose. |
Achenes | brown or dark reddish brown, 2–3 × 1.5–2 mm. |
brown or dark reddish brown, 2–3 × 1–1.5 mm. |
2n | = 40. |
= 20. |
Rumex mexicanus |
Rumex pallidus |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring–early summer. | Flowering late spring–summer. |
Habitat | Shores of streams and rivers, wet meadows | Coastal marshes and dunes, sandy and rocky sea beaches |
Elevation | 1000 m (3300 ft) | 0 m (0 ft) |
Distribution |
NM; Mexico
|
MA; ME; NH; VT; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC |
Discussion | 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 pallidus is restricted to northeastern North America. Specimens with more “strict habit, larger leaves, and more erect fruiting branches” reported by K. H. Rechinger (1937) from Alaska and Yukon as this species belong instead to R. sibiricus (E. Hultén 1941–1950, vol. 4). Those species, as well as R. subarcticus and R. hultenii Tzvelev, represent a rather natural northern group of the R. salicifolius aggregate. The hybrid R. pallidus × R. triangulivalvis was reported from the western part of New York (R. S. Mitchell 1986). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 511. | FNA vol. 5, p. 512. |
Parent taxa | Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Rumex > subg. Rumex > sect. Axillares | Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Rumex > subg. Rumex > sect. Axillares |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Meisner: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 14: 45. (1856) | Bigelow: Fl. Boston. ed. 3, 153. (1840) |
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