Rumex stenophyllus
Encyclopedia
Rumex stenophyllus is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family
known by the common name narrowleaf dock. It is native to Eurasia and it can be found in parts of North America as an introduced species
and roadside weed
. It grows in moist and wet habitat, often in areas with saline soils. It is a perennial herb producing an erect stem from a thick taproot
, usually measuring 40 to 80 centimeters tall, but known to well exceed one meter. The leaves are up to 30 centimeters long and are generally lance-shaped with curled edges. The inflorescence
is an interrupted series of clusters of flowers with 20 to 25 in each cluster, each flower hanging from a pedicel
. The flower has usually six tepal
s, the inner three of which are largest, triangular and edged with teeth, and bearing tubercles.
Polygonaceae
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...
known by the common name narrowleaf dock. It is native to Eurasia and it can be found in parts of North America as an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
and roadside 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...
. It grows in moist and wet habitat, often in areas with saline soils. It is a perennial herb producing an erect stem from a thick 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...
, usually measuring 40 to 80 centimeters tall, but known to well exceed one meter. The leaves are up to 30 centimeters long and are generally lance-shaped with curled edges. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is an interrupted series of clusters of flowers with 20 to 25 in each cluster, each flower hanging from a pedicel
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
. The flower has usually six tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...
s, the inner three of which are largest, triangular and edged with teeth, and bearing tubercles.