Rumex mexicanus
Rumex palustris
Mexican dock, Mexican willow, Mexican willow or dock
marsh dock
erect or ascending, usually producing axillary shoots below 1st-order inflorescence or at proximal nodes, 30–60(–90) cm.
erect, normally branched in distal 2/3, occasionally almost near base, 10–60(–100) 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 normally deciduous, rarely partially persistent at maturity;
blade lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, gradually narrowed at both ends, (10–)15–30(–35) × 1.5–6 cm, more than 4 times as long as wide, base narrowly to broadly cuneate, margins entire, flat or, rarely, weakly undulate, apex acute, rarely subobtuse.
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, rarely more, reddish brown at maturity, usually lax, interrupted in proximal 1/2 or 2/3, broadly paniculate;
branches spreading.
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 near base or at least in proximal 1/3, filiform, 3–6 mm, articulation weakly evident.
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).
15–25(–30) in rather dense whorls;
inner tepals narrowly triangular, narrowly rhombic-triangular, or linguliform, (2.5–)3–3.5(–4) × 1.2–1.5(–2) mm (excluding teeth), normally ca. 2 times as long as wide, base truncate or broadly cuneate, margins prominently dentate, apex acute very rarely subacute, straight, teeth (1–)2–3, normally at each side of margins, subulate-filiform, bristlelike, straight, 1–2(–3) mm, usually as long as width of inner tepals;
tubercles 3, equal or subequal, apex obtuse, smooth.
brown or dark reddish brown, 2–3 × 1.5–2 mm.
light brown, 0.9–1.75 × 0.6–1 mm.
= 40.
= 60.
Rumex mexicanus
Rumex palustris
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 palustris was reported for the first time from North America by J. E. Dawson (1979) based on specimens misidentified as R. maritimus and R. pulcher, collected in 1877 and 1959, respectively. Rumex palustris is not known to be invasive, and these collections probably represent only occasional, chance introductions.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
CA
