Rumex crispus
Rumex crispus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Polygonaceae |
Genus: | Rumex |
Species: | R. crispus
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Binomial name | |
Rumex crispus |
Rumex crispus, the curly dock,
Description
The plant produces an inflorescence or flower stalk that grows to 1.5 metres (5 feet) high.
Rumex crispus has a number of subspecies with distinctive habitat preferences. R. crispus ssp. crispus occurs on waste and cultivated ground. R. crispus ssp. littoreus has a coastal distribution, and R. crispus ssp. uliginosus occurs on tidal estuarine mud.[5] The species hybridizes readily with other Rumex species including Rumex obtusifolius, Rumex obovatus, Rumex palustris and Rumex maritimus.[5]
Distribution
Native across temperate Eurasia, and widespread as an introduced species in North America and other temperate regions.[6]
Ecology
Curly dock grows in a wide variety of habitats, including disturbed soil, waste areas, roadsides, fields/meadows, shorelines, and forest edges.[7] It is widely naturalised throughout the temperate world and has become a serious invasive species in many areas, including throughout North America, southern South America, New Zealand and parts of Australia. It spreads through the seeds contaminating crop seeds, and sticking to clothing. It is classified as an "injurious weed" under the UK Weeds Act 1959.[8] In the United States, it is classified as a noxious weed in the states of Arkansas and Iowa.[9] It is often seen in disturbed soils at the edges of roadsides, railway beds, and car parks.
Host plant
The curled dock is an optimal host plant for certain Lepidoptera species including, Agrotis ipsilon (black cutworm). Adult moths oviposit on these dense, low-lying leaves during the spring/summer season.[10]
Uses and toxicity
It can be used as a wild leaf vegetable; the young leaves should be boiled in several changes of water to remove as much of the
The seeds of the yellow dock, once dried thoroughly, are edible as well.
In Western herbalism, the root is often used for treating anemia, due to its high level of iron.[14] It can be powdered and given in capsules, often in combination with stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). This is a classic combination with the plant. Both the leaves and root may be laxative in some individuals, though not in all, and generally it is mild. This is due to the presence of anthroquinone glycosides,[15] and is not an action that should be relied upon, but seen as a possible effect of the plant when taken. The plant may also cause intestinal discomfort to some people. The plant will help with skin conditions if taken internally or applied externally to things like itching, scrofula, and sores.[citation needed] Some studies show that certain anthroquinones can help stop or slow cancer growth, but this may or may not apply to the ones in yellow dock.
Yellow dock is part of the homeopathic pharmacopoeia. It is used mainly for respiratory conditions, specifically those with a tickling cough that is worse when exposed to cold air. It mentions also passing pains, excessive itching, and that it helps enlarged lymphs.[16]
The Zuni people apply a poultice of the powdered root to sores, rashes and skin infections, and use infusion of the root for athlete's foot.[17]
References
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Rumex crispus". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-19-522211-1.
- ^ OCLC 244766414.
- ^ Richard H. Uva, Joseph C. Neal and Joseph M. Ditomaso, Weeds of The Northeast, (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997), Pp. 286-287.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-521-70772-5.
- S2CID 253614635.
- ISBN 978-0-19-522211-1.
- ^ "[Withdrawn] Wild plants: dangerous, invasive and protected species – Detailed guidance – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. 11 December 2014.
- ^ "Rumex Crispus". usda.gov. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- ^ Busching, M. K., and F. T. Turpin. “Oviposition Preferences of Black Cutworm Moths Among Various Crop Plants, Weeds, and Plant Debris12.” Journal of Economic Entomology, vol. 69, no. 5, Jan. 1976, pp. 587–590., doi:10.1093/jee/69.5.587.
- ^ Lee Allen Peterson, Edible Wild Plants, (New York City: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977), p. 154.
- ^ http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2734/2 "Nutritional Facts and Analysis of Dock, raw"
- ^ Thayer, Samuel, March 1, 2010. Nature's Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Wild Plants Forager's Harvest Press
- ^ Lust, John B.. The herb book. New York: B. Lust Publications, 1974.
- ^ "A Modern Herbal - Docks". botanical.com.
- ^ "Rumex Crispus." - Homeopathic Remedies. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2014
- ^ Camazine, Scott and Robert A. Bye 1980 A Study Of The Medical Ethnobotany Of The Zuni Indians of New Mexico. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2:365-388 (p. 378)
External links
- Media related to Rumex crispus at Wikimedia Commons
- "Rumex crispus". Plants for a Future.
- "Rumex crispus". Calflora. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database.
- Rumex crispus in the CalPhotos photo database, University of California, Berkeley