Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Curly Dock (Searsport, Maine)

Rumex crispus

The flower bed in the abandoned site next to the RV has three, big curly dock plants sticking high above the hostas. The red of the dock is a sharp contrast to the yellow of the narrow-leaf goldenrod that has also established itself in the little garden and is in full bloom.

Curly dock grows throughout the U.S. and southern Canada. The plant gets the first part of its name from the curled or wavy edges on the leaves. It is a member of the buckwheat family and can be eaten by humans (in small amounts, when the plant is young) but is toxic to cattle, horses, and sheep due to the oxalic acid it contains. This acid gives the leaves a sour taste that many people enjoy. The leaves are a dark green when they emerge, but progressively turn more red/purple as the season progresses.

The plant has been used medicinally as an anti-inflamatory. A single plant can produce more than 40,000 seeds and can grow over five feet tall. The seeds are enclosed in a papery, winged structure that allows them to float on water. This aids in their dispersal.