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bitter dock, broad-leaf dock, broad-leaf or broadleaf or bitter dock, patience a feuilles obtuses

California dock, California willow dock, tooth willow dock

Habit Plants perennial, glabrous or ± papillose especially on veins of leaf blades abaxially, with fusiform, vertical rootstock. Plants perennial, glabrous, with vertical rootstock.
Stems

erect, branched distal to middle or occasionally in distal 2/3, often with few flowering stems from rootstock, 60–120(–150) cm.

usually ascending, rarely decumbent-ascending or suberect, usually producing axillary shoots below 1st-order inflorescence or at proximal nodes, 30–60 cm.

Leaves

ocrea deciduous to partially persistent at maturity;

blade oblong to ovate-oblong, sometimes broadly ovate, 20–40 × 10–15 cm, usually less than 4 times as long as wide, base normally distinctly cordate, occasionally rounded, rarely truncate, margins normally entire, flat or undulate, rarely slightly crisped, apex obtuse or subacute.

blades linear-lanceolate or linear-oblanceolate, 5–10 × 1–3 cm, usually ca. (3–)5–7 times as long as wide, usually widest near middle, thin or, occasionally, subcoriaceous, base cuneate, margins entire, flat or, occasionally, undulate near base, apex acute or attenuate.

Inflorescences

terminal, occupying distal 2/3 of stem, usually lax and interrupted, narrowly or broadly paniculate, branches usually forming angle of 30–45° with 1st-order stem.

terminal and axillary, terminal usually occupying distal 1/5–1/3 of stem, lax, interrupted at least in proximal 1/2, usually broadly paniculate (branches simple or with few 2d-order branches).

Pedicels

articulated in proximal 1/3 or rarely near middle, filiform, 2.5–8.5(–10) mm, articulation distinctly swollen.

articulated in proximal 1/3 or almost near base, filiform, 3–8 mm, not more than 2–2.5 times as long as inner tepals, articulation indistinctly swollen.

Flowers

10–25 in lax whorls;

inner tepals ovate-triangular, deltoid or, occasionally, lingulate, 3–6 × 2–3.5 mm (excluding teeth), ca. 1.5–2 times as long as wide, base truncate, margins usually distinctly dentate, rarely subentire, apex obtuse to subacute, straight, teeth 2–5, normally at each side of margin, short-subulate or triangular-subulate, straight, 0.5–1.8 mm, or shorter than width of inner tepals;

tubercle usually 1, sometimes 3, then 1 distinctly larger, smooth.

10–15(–20) in whorls;

inner tepals usually broadly triangular or deltoid, 2.5–3.5 × 2.2–3.3 mm, base truncate, margins minutely but distinctly denticulate, rarely subentire, apex obtuse or subacute;

tubercles absent, or only 1 midvein slightly swollen.

Achenes

brown to reddish brown, 2–2.7 × 1.2–1.7 mm.

brown or dark reddish brown, 2 × 1.3 mm.

2n

= 40.

= 20.

Rumex obtusifolius

Rumex californicus

Phenology Flowering late spring–early fall. Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Waste places, roadsides, fields, shores, meadows, wet woods, swamps Moist coastal, alluvial, and montane habitats
Elevation 0-2300 m (0-7500 ft) 0-3000 m (0-9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM; Greenland; Europe; w Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced elsewhere]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; OR; possibly n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Rumex obtusifolius, a member of subsect. Obtusifolii Rechinger f. (K. H. Rechinger 1937), is a polymorphic species represented in Eurasia by three or four rather distinct races often treated by European authors as subspecies or varieties. These taxa differ mostly in inner tepal dentation and geographic distribution. In North America the morphotypes often intergrade. In Eurasia this species is differentiated into predominantly western subsp. obtusifolius [including R. obtusifolius subsp. agrestis (Fries) Danser], eastern subsp. sylvestris (Wallroth) Rechinger f., intermediate central European subsp. transiens (Simonkai) Rechinger f., and montane subsp. subalpinus (Schur) Simonkai. Only subspp. obtusifolius and sylvestris occur in North America; the former seems to be more common. Subspecies obtusifolius differs from subsp. sylvestris in having larger and more prominently dentate inner tepals with one tubercle, or with three distinctly unequal tubercles; in subsp. sylvestris the teeth are usually less than 0.6 mm, developing only near the base of the inner tepals, and the tubercles often almost subequal.

Rumex obtusifolius may be expected elsewhere in the Great Plains region of the United States and Canada.

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

Rumex californicus is closely related to and often is regarded as a variety of R. salicifolius.

In Oregon this species has been reported only as a ballast waif in the Albina neighborhood of Portland (K. H. Rechinger 1937). It has been reported also from northeastern Nevada (J. T. Kartesz 1987, vol. 1), New Mexico (W. C. Martin and C. R. Hutchins 1980), and Wyoming (N. M. Sarkar 1958), but these records require confirmation.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 526. FNA vol. 5, p. 509.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Rumex > subg. Rumex > sect. Rumex Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Rumex > subg. Rumex > sect. Axillares
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. hastatulus, R. hesperius, R. hymenosepalus, R. kerneri, R. krausei, R. lacustris, R. lapponicus, R. longifolius, R. maritimus, R. mexicanus, R. nematopodus, R. obovatus, 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. 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. 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
Synonyms R. crispatulus, R. rugelii R. salicifolius var. denticulatus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 335. (1753) Rechinger f.: Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 40: 297. (1936)
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