Curled Dock - introduced (*Rumex crispus)

Family: Polygonaceae (Dock, Persicaria family).

Native of Europe and south-western Asia.

Occurrence: The most common introduced dock. It is widespread in most habitats.

Identification:

• it is a tall dock (often over 1 metre high) with a stout stem
• the leaves are large (often over 20 cm long) and wavy-edged
• the branches are held erect
• the flowers are densely clustered in rings around the stems
• the fruit are rounded and without teeth. There is usually a rounded swelling on the fruit, the swelling is about half as long as the fruit.

It is an environmental weed.

Other docks: Other native and introduced docks are common and widespread. These have smaller leaves, and more slender stems. In many of them, the fruit have teeth.

Photos 1, 2: Curled Dock fruit. The fruit are rounded (not toothed) and at the centre of each there is a rounded swelling. Dried and fresh samples.
3: Hybrid Dock. It resembles Curled Dock, but the fruit are toothed and angular. Hunter St, Castlemaine. 4: The leaves are not flat but wavy. The leaf was ove 30cm long. 5: Dead Curled Dock. The fruit are prominent. Castlemaine Botanic Gardens.