urbpan | 365 Urban Species. #272: Curly Dock (Reply)

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urbpan. Location: Puddingstone park, Mission Hill, Boston.

Urban species #272: Curly dock Rumex crispus

Some urban plants we walk by without noticing, all summer long. Only in the fall, when their distinctive fruits appear, that they become obvious. Such is the case with curly dock. Various authorities may refer to it as "curled dock," "narrowleaf dock," "sour dock," or "yellow dock." I choose the common name curly dock because I can remember it because it combines the name of one of the Three Stooges with the name of one of the Seven Dwarfs. The curly parts of the plant are the edges of the leaves; a similar urban plant named broadleaf or common dock, R. obtusifolis, has larger leaves that aren't curly at the margins like a lasagna noodle.

The docks (and sorrels, also in genus Rumex) are common weeds, mostly from Eurasia, that have been spread around the world for many possible reasons. (There are some non-weedy species, and some native species, as well--these remarks refer to the weedy, Eurasian Rumex species.) The leaves of most are edible, there are many medicinal uses for them, and their seeds may have accidentally been mixed in with cattle forage. Whatever their way in was, several attributes of these plants have led to them becoming naturalized almost globally. They grow well in disturbed soil, and their greenish flowers produce pollen carried on the wind (releasing the plant from dependence on any particular animal pollinator). Curly dock is found in every inhabited continent, as well as New Zealand, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. In many places it is considered a noxious weed.

The fruit stalk of curly dock turns reddish brown in fall, and can persist through the winter. Hundreds of seeds are clustered on each plant, providing food for songbirds and rodents.