Plants → Polygonaceae → Rumex
Rumex crispus L.
Curled Dock
Sp.Pl. 1:335 (1753)
Conservation Status:
Alien
Name Status:
Current
Brief Description
Amanda Spooner,
Tuesday 15 May 2007
Erect perennial, herb, 0.2–1(–1.5) m high. Fl. green, Jun–Dec. Sandy & clayey soils. Disturbed areas. Distribution: ER: COO; SW: AW, ESP, GS, JF, MAL, SWA, WAR.
Scientific Description
Amanda Spooner, James Carpenter, Gillian Smith and Kim Spence,
Thursday 21 August 2008
Common name(s). Curled Dock.
Habit. Erect, perennial, broad-leaved, herbs (with taproot), up to 1.5 m high.
Leaves. Alternate, spiral, simple, stipulate (stipules forming a sheath), petiolate, petiole 15–120 mm long (longer on basal leaves than stem leaves). Leaf blade 40–300 mm long (the basal and lower stem leaves are much larger than those on the upper stem), 10–77 mm wide, undissected, oblong or ovate (narrowly), base tapering, margins entire or dentate (undulate and crisped), apex acute. Blade glabrous.
Flowers. In spikes or in panicles; predominantly green, regular, pedicellate, pedicel 3–6 mm long, perianth 2 -whorled. Corolla 1.5–3 mm long, 6 petals (3 inner and 3 outer tepals), all petals free. Stamens 6 (in 2 whorls of 3), free of each other. Anthers non-versatile (basifixed), dehiscing via longitudinal slits. Ovary syncarpous, superior, 1 -celled. Ovules 1 per cell. Styles 3, simple (stigmas fimbriate).
Fruit. Indehiscent, a nut (three-angled and enclosed in valves), non-fleshy, 2–3.5 mm long.
Distribution. Australian: Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania. Alien to Australia, alien to Western Australia, naturalised. Native distribution: south-west Asia.
Habitat. Amongst low trees; in sand, loam, clay; occupying river banks; growing in gravel pits, in disturbed natural vegetation (in regenerating woodlands, stands of remnant eucalypts between crop paddocks).
Flowering period. June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
Additional differences from related species. Rumex crispus can be separated from R. conglomeratus by its longer fruiting valves and fruiting pedicels, more congested inflorescence and lack of subtending leaves beneath floral whorls. It differs from R. frutescens in having an erect rather than decumbent habit, a larger inflorescence and acute rather than obtuse leaves. The latter also appears to have a strictly coastal distribution.
Descriptions are sourced from the Weed Information Network project, Western Australian Herbarium.
Descriptions were generated using DELTA data format and DELTA software: Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993 onwards, 1995 onwards, 1998).
