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
The plant produces an inflorescence or flower stalk that grows to 1.5 metres (5 feet) high. It has smooth leaves shooting off from a large basal rosette, with distinctive waved or curled edges; these can grow to
Rumex crispus has a number of subspecies with distinctive habitat preferences. R. crispus ssp. crispus occurs on waste and cultivated ground. R. crispus ssp. littoreus has a coastal distribution, and R. crispus ssp. uliginosus occurs on tidal estuarine mud. The species hybridizes readily with other Rumex species including Rumex obtusifolius, Rumex obovatus, Rumex palustris and Rumex maritimus.
Distribution
Native across temperate Eurasia, and widespread as an introduced species in North America and other temperate regions.
Ecology
Fruits of curled dock (R. crispus)
Curly dock grows in a wide variety of habitats, including disturbed soil, waste areas, roadsides, fields/meadows, shorelines, and forest edges.
It is widely naturalised throughout the temperate world and has become a serious invasive species in many areas, including throughout North America, southern South America, New Zealand and parts of Australia. It spreads through the seeds contaminating crop seeds, and sticking to clothing. It is classified as an "injurious weed" under the UK Weeds Act 1959. In the United States, it is classified as a noxious weed in the states of Arkansas and Iowa. It is often seen in disturbed soils at the edges of roadsides, railway beds, and car parks.
The curled dock is an optimal host plant for certain Lepidoptera species including, Agrotis ipsilon (black cutworm). Adult moths oviposit on these dense, low-lying leaves during the spring/summer season.
Host plant
The curled dock is an optimal host plant for certain Lepidoptera species including, Agrotis ipsilon (black cutworm). Adult moths...
