Summary ³

Rumex crispus, the curly dock, curled dock or yellow dock, is a perennial flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae, native to Europe and Western Asia.

Description ⁴

Family:
Polygonaceae (Smartweed/Buckwheat)

Height:
1 to 5 feet

Leaves:
Leaves are long (up to 12”), distinctly wavy margins, and alternately attached.

Flower:
Flowers are green and inconspicuous, growing in long, erect spikes from the upper stem. Flowers become reddish-brown as they mature.

Bloom time:
June-August

Nicknames:
Curled Dock, Yellow Dock

Habitat:
Curly Dock grows in full to partial sun, moist to dry conditions, and in a variety of soils, though it prefers loamy or gravelly soils. It is commonly found in fields, waste areas, vacant lots, along roadsides, and in a variety of other disturbed areas.

Wildlife Benefits:
Food source for gamebirds, songbirds, voles, mice, and a variety of insects.

Can I plant this in my garden?
Curly Dock is a weedy species native to Europe, and should not be planted. Management techniques used to control it include removing flowers before they go to seed, removal of seedheads, or chemical treatment with glyphosate.

References:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/curly-dock
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/curly_dock.htm
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rumex-crispus/

Range ⁴

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Dendroica cerulea, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/dendroica/17683699558/
2. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, all rights reserved, uploaded by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District
3. Adapted by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex_crispus
4. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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