Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Caryophyllales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Rumex obtusifolius
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Broadleaf Dock at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Rumex obtusifolius
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Rumex obtusifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5 (2005)
Rumex obtusifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Rumex obtusifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 063-02-009:
Rumex obtusifolius FAMILY Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Rumex obtusifolius
COMMON NAME:
Bitter Dock, Broadleaf Dock
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_ruob_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm0505f_02
May Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow s000510_b
May Greenville County SC
Leaves are wide, heart-shaped at the base, and lack wavy margins, per Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992).
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_062821hayesville11
June Clay County NC
Clay County Native Botanical Garden
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_062821hayesville13
June Clay County NC
Clay County Native Botanical Garden
Flowers about 1/4" long, short-stalked in terminal cluster to 1' long, in well-spaced whorls, per Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Rumex obtusifolius
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Rumex obtusifolius
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Rumex obtusifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5
Rumex obtusifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Rumex obtusifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 063-02-009:
Rumex obtusifolius
FAMILY
Polygonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Rumex obtusifolius
1286
Forb
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: Pastures, barnyards, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe
Common (uncommon in SC Coastal Plain, uncommon in GA Piedmont) (rare in GA Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Reddish-green (male flowers have dull yellow inner tepals)
6 sepals of two different sizes
Petals absent
6 stamens in staminate flowers
Superior ovary
Unisexual
FRUIT:
Summer
Brown
Nutlet
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p404
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p464
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p003
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p084
- Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992) p166
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".