Rumex obtusifolius
Encyclopedia
Rumex obtusifolius, commonly known as Broad-leaved Dock, Bitter Dock, Bluntleaf Dock, Dock Leaf or Butter Dock, is a perennial
weed
, native to Europe
but can now be found in the United States
and many other countries around the world.
family.
Large clusters of raceme
s contain green flower
s that change to red as they mature. They are held on a single stalk that grows above the leaves and blooms June through September. The seed
s produced are reddish-brown.
Seedling
s can be identified by the oval leaves with red stems and rolled leaves sprouting from the center of the plant.
Rumex crispus - curly dock - is very similar in appearance but with thinner and wavier leaves. In more detail, the calyx
of curly dock has smooth margins while the calyx of broadleaf dock has horned margins.
. In some parts of the United Kingdom
nettle
stings are said to be cured by vigorously rubbing a dock leaf onto the sting, and 'dock leaves' as they are known are often found growing next to or near where nettles are found.
A tincture of dock is helpful for problems of the menopause
. According to folk remedies, dock root has a pronounced detoxing effect on the liver and it cleanses the skin.
's Adam Bede
, set in the early 19th century, broad dock leaves are used to wrap farmhouse butter.
ous. It is designated an "injurious weed" under the UK Weeds Act 1959
. Livestock have been known to get sick after feeding on it. But eradicating the plants is difficult. The perennial plant can have a deep taproot
reaching 5 feet down. Also, the milk of the plant has been known to cause mild dermatitis
.
Seeds have toothed wing structures, allowing them to be dispersed by wind or water, and also allow them to attach to animals or machinery to be spread great distances. They can lie dormant for years before germination, making vigilant pulling or tilling essential.
First year plants can seed, making early detection important for eradication.
The main weaknesses of Broadleaf are its poor competition, crowding causes flowering to be delayed for up to three years, and its susceptibility to disturbance. Frequent tilling will disrupt roots and kill seedlings and even older plants. The plant also thrives in moist environments and improved drainage can also help control its growth.
It has also been an invasive species of the Great lakes
region where it was first sighted in 1840.
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
, native to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
but can now be found in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and many other countries around the world.
Identification
Rumex obtusifolius is easily recognizable by its very large leaves, some of the lower leaves having red stems. The edges of the leaves are slightly "crisped" or wavy. The foliage of the plant can grow to about 18 inches in height. The stems have nodes covered by an ocrea, a thin, paper-like membrane - a characteristic of the PolygonaceaePolygonaceae
Polygonaceae is a family of flowering plants known informally as the "knotweed family" or "smartweed family"— "buckwheat family" in the United States. The name is based on the genus Polygonum and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 in his book, Genera Plantarum. The name refers...
family.
Large clusters of raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s contain green flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s that change to red as they mature. They are held on a single stalk that grows above the leaves and blooms June through September. The seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s produced are reddish-brown.
Seedling
Seedling
thumb|Monocot and dicot seedlingsA seedling is a young plant sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed. A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle , the hypocotyl , and the cotyledons...
s can be identified by the oval leaves with red stems and rolled leaves sprouting from the center of the plant.
Rumex crispus - curly dock - is very similar in appearance but with thinner and wavier leaves. In more detail, the calyx
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
of curly dock has smooth margins while the calyx of broadleaf dock has horned margins.
Medicinal uses of the herb
The 'milk' of the dock leaf is known to contain tannins and oxalic acid, which is an astringentAstringent
An astringent substance is a chemical compound that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues, usually locally after topical medicinal application. The word "astringent" derives from Latin adstringere, meaning "to bind fast"...
. In some parts of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
nettle
Nettle
Nettles constitute between 24 and 39 species of flowering plants of the genus Urtica in the family Urticaceae, with a cosmopolitan though mainly temperate distribution. They are mostly herbaceous perennial plants, but some are annual and a few are shrubby...
stings are said to be cured by vigorously rubbing a dock leaf onto the sting, and 'dock leaves' as they are known are often found growing next to or near where nettles are found.
A tincture of dock is helpful for problems of the menopause
Menopause
Menopause is a term used to describe the permanent cessation of the primary functions of the human ovaries: the ripening and release of ova and the release of hormones that cause both the creation of the uterine lining and the subsequent shedding of the uterine lining...
. According to folk remedies, dock root has a pronounced detoxing effect on the liver and it cleanses the skin.
Other historical uses
In George EliotGeorge Eliot
Mary Anne Evans , better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist and translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era...
's Adam Bede
Adam Bede
Adam Bede, the first novel written by George Eliot , was published in 1859. It was published pseudonymously, even though Evans was a well-published and highly respected scholar of her time...
, set in the early 19th century, broad dock leaves are used to wrap farmhouse butter.
Eradication
Broadleaf dock is considered a weed and is slightly poisonPoison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
ous. It is designated an "injurious weed" under the UK Weeds Act 1959
Weeds Act 1959
The Weeds Act of 1959 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom regarding the control of several injurious weed species throughout the UK. It received Royal Assent on 16 July 1959, and aims to prevent the spread of the Broad Leaved Dock, Common Ragwort, Creeping Thistle, Curled Dock and...
. Livestock have been known to get sick after feeding on it. But eradicating the plants is difficult. The perennial plant can have a deep taproot
Taproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
reaching 5 feet down. Also, the milk of the plant has been known to cause mild dermatitis
Dermatitis
-Etymology:Dermatitis derives from Greek derma "skin" + -itis "inflammation" and genetic disorder.-Terminology:There are several different types of dermatitis. The different kinds usually have in common an allergic reaction to specific allergens. The term may describe eczema, which is also called...
.
Seeds have toothed wing structures, allowing them to be dispersed by wind or water, and also allow them to attach to animals or machinery to be spread great distances. They can lie dormant for years before germination, making vigilant pulling or tilling essential.
First year plants can seed, making early detection important for eradication.
The main weaknesses of Broadleaf are its poor competition, crowding causes flowering to be delayed for up to three years, and its susceptibility to disturbance. Frequent tilling will disrupt roots and kill seedlings and even older plants. The plant also thrives in moist environments and improved drainage can also help control its growth.
It has also been an invasive species of the Great lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
region where it was first sighted in 1840.