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| Rumex britannica | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Polygonaceae |
| Genus: | Rumex |
| Species: | R. britannica |
| Binomial name | |
| Rumex britannica L. | |
Rumex britannica is a flowering plant species in the family Polygonaceae.(Buckwheat family) (perennial).
The flower consists of branching clusters that emerge from the uppermost part of the plant. The branches are decorated with whorls of 15-25 slim-stalked flowers, These are usually accumulated by the branch tips and become increasingly separated the further away they are located from the branch tip. These flowers are approximately ¼ inch long, with green and pink coloration, 3 sided along with 2 sets of tepal ( the inner being tepals being much larger than the outer). The three inner valves (tepals) are egg-shaped to pseudo-spherical in shape with differentiating veins across their surface. The edges vary from smooth to wavy and even jagged. The base of each inner tepal consists of a projection termed a grain which in length, measures at about ½ of the tepal, a lance-oblong which generally is tapering to a sharp tip, with the 3 tepals having identically sized grains. At the time of flowering tepals are spreading, demonstrating their stamens and styles and proceed to retract during pollination. At twice the length of inner tepals at flowering time, flower stalks are petite and smooth while possessing an obscure joint in the lower third. [1]
The leaves are found to be in both the basal and alternate. With a hairless, smooth to barely scalloped on its edges. They are also seen to have lateral veins that are almost perpendicular to the midvein. Basal leaves are lance-oblong in nature with a length of 1-2 feet and about 3 inches wide. They are also flat or sometimes wavy, and their tips end bluntly or sharply, wedge shaped to linear across the foundation which is found at the stalk which is equal in length to the blade. New leaves form erect, and rolled with the edge which proceed to unravel and are red to bronzy orange in appearance.
While ascending the stem the leaves become smaller , tapering at both ends and sharper at the tip, while also being shortly stalked and more crinkled around the edge. [2]
A paperlike sheath called the ocrea which is brownish in appearance is located at the foundation of the leaf stalk while surrounding the stem and disintegrates with maturity.
The stems of the plant are plump, erect, and for the most part, unbranched except in flower clusters, ridged and hairless.
Single seeds emerge from the flower of the plant which are wrapped in tepals, which form a pod-like structure which proceed to dry and decolorize to brown.
The seeds are 3 sided, oval- to egg shaped with short tapering at the end. They are also reddish brown, and measure to be about 3 to 4.5 mm long.
During late spring through the summer this plant blooms. The height of this plant is approximately three to six feet.
Rumex britannica is native to the Northeast and northern Midwest of North America. It is native in many parts of the Northeast. California primarily has the plant as a native species.
The habitat in which Rumex britannica thrives is wetland areas, including alongside rivers, lakes, or even swamps.
This plant was used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes. One of these medicinal purposes is treating skin related diseases.
The seeds of Rumex britannica are eaten by birds including the swamp sparrow, song sparrow, bobolink, and red-winged blackbird, as well as small mammals including the meadow vole and muskrat. Many insects rely on the foliage, seeds, and roots of the plant. [3]
Conservation efforts: In the United States, Rumex britannica is secure and is currently not facing any signs of population decline. Rumex Britannica does not fall under the US Endangered Species Act. It also does not fall under the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COCOSEWIC)
Bistorta officinalis, known as bistort, common bistort, European bistort or meadow bistort, is a species of flowering plant in the dock family Polygonaceae native to Europe and northern and western Asia. Other common names include snakeroot, snake-root, snakeweed and Easter-ledges.
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.
Babiana is a genus of geophytes in the family Iridaceae with 93 recognized species as of March 2022. The leaves consist of a stalk and a blade that are at an angle to each other. The leaf blades are entire, laterally flattened and pleated, and often hairy. Each individual flower is subtended by two hairy or smooth bracts that are green in most species. The outer bract is often the largest of the two. In most species the bracts have a dry, brown tip, but in a few species it is entirely green or entirely dry when flowering or the outer bract is translucent and has a papery texture. The inner bract is forked or split all the way to its base. Each flower is without a pedicel, with six tepals that are merged at their base into a tube and form a perianth that is mirror-symmetrical in most species, with three anthers implanted where the perianth tube widens and that are, in almost every species, clustered at one side of the style. The style has three branches that widen towards the tip and the ovary is inferior. Flowers occur in almost every conceivable colour, many have markings on some of the tepals, and few star-symmetrical flowers have a centre that strongly contrasts with the free part of the perianth. The majority of these species are endemic to the west and southwest of South Africa, and southwestern Namibia, but one species occurs elsewhere in Namibia and South Africa and another species can be found in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The genus name is derived from the Dutch word baviaan, referring to the Chacma baboon, Papio ursinus, that consumes the corms of plants in the genus. The genus is called bobbejaantjie in Afrikaans, meaning small baboon.
Rumex obtusifolius, commonly known as bitter dock, broad-leaved dock, bluntleaf dock, dock leaf, dockens or butter dock, is a perennial plant in the family Polygonaceae. It is native to Europe, but is found on all temperate continents. It is a highly invasive species in some zones, resulting from its abundant seed dispersal, adaptability to reproduce, aggressive roots, ability to tolerate extreme climates, and hardiness.
Rumex longifolius, commonly known as the dooryard dock or northern dock, is a perennial species of plant in the genus Rumex.
Veronica serpyllifolia, the thyme-leaved speedwell or thymeleaf speedwell, is a perennial flowering plant in the plantain family. It is native to Europe, but can be found elsewhere on most continents as an introduced species.
Rumex hydrolapathum, the great water dock, water dock, or giant water dock, is a species of perennial herbaceous plants in the genus Rumex native to fens and freshwater banks of Europe and Western Asia. It is the tallest species in the genus, with flowering stems attaining a height of up to 2 m. It is one of the small number of decaploid organisms, containing two hundred individual chromosomes.
Rumex stenophyllus is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common name narrow-leaf dock. It is native to Eurasia and it can be found in parts of North America as an introduced species and roadside weed. It grows in moist and wet habitat, often in areas with saline soils. It is a perennial herb producing an erect stem from a thick taproot, usually measuring 40 to 80 centimeters tall, but known to well exceed one meter. The leaves are up to 30 centimeters long and are generally lance-shaped with curled edges. The inflorescence is an interrupted series of clusters of flowers with 20 to 25 in each cluster, each flower hanging from a pedicel. The flower has usually six tepals, the inner three of which are largest, triangular and edged with teeth, and bearing tubercles.
Rumex dentatus is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common names toothed dock and Aegean dock. It is native to parts of Eurasia and North Africa, and it is widely known elsewhere as an introduced species. It grows in disturbed habitat, often in moist areas, such as lakeshores and the edges of cultivated fields. It is an annual or biennial herb producing a slender, erect stem up to 70 or 80 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are lance-shaped to oval with slightly wavy edges, growing to a maximum length around 12 centimeters. The inflorescence is an interrupted series of clusters of flowers, with 10 to 20 flowers per cluster and each flower hanging on a pedicel. Each flower has usually six tepals, the 3 inner of which are edged with spinelike teeth and have tubercles at their centers.
Rumex kerneri is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common name Kerner's dock. It is native to Europe. It has also been observed in California as an introduced species and roadside weed. It is a perennial herb producing a slender, erect stem from a thick taproot, approaching 1.5 meters in maximum height. The lance-shaped leaves can be up to 25 centimeters long and have smooth, wavy, or wrinkly edges. The inflorescence is an interrupted series of clusters of flowers, with 15 or 20 in each cluster, each flower hanging from a pedicel. The flower has usually six tepals, the inner three of which are largest, about 6 millimeters long, edged with tiny teeth and bearing rounded tubercles in the centers.
Rumex pulcher is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common name fiddle dock. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa and it can be found elsewhere, including parts of North America, as an introduced species and a roadside weed. Europe. It is quite variable in appearance, and some authorities divide it into several subspecies that are more or less distinguishable. In general, it is a perennial herb producing a slender, erect stem from a thick taproot, approaching 70 centimeters in maximum height. The top of the plant may bend, especially as the fruit develops. The leaves are up to 10 or 15 centimeters long and variable in shape, though often oblong with a narrow middle in the rough shape of a fiddle. The inflorescence is made up of many branches, each an interrupted series of clusters of flowers with up to 20 in each cluster, each flower hanging from a pedicel. The flower has usually six tepals, the inner three of which are edged with teeth and have tubercles at their centers.
Rumex alpinus, common name monk's-rhubarb, Munk's rhubarb or Alpine dock, is a leafy perennial herb in the family Polygonaceae. It is native to upland areas of Europe and Western Asia.
Maianthemum paniculatum is a perennial flowering plant; a species of monocot found from Mexico to Panama. It is often associated with montane environments and is found primarily in forest openings and along roadsides.
Monodora tenuifolia is a species of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is native to equatorial Africa. George Bentham, the English botanist who first formally described the species, named it after its slender leaves.
Rumex fueginus, known as American dock, golden dock, and Tierra del Fuego dock, is a flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae. Rumex fueginus was first formally named by Rodolfo Armando Phillipi. Rumex fueginus is native from Canada in northern North America to Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America. It has previously been considered a subspecies or variety of Rumex maritimus, a Eurasian species.
Rumex utahensis is a flowering plant species in the family Polygonaceae. The common name for this species is Utah dock. It is a dicot, perennial herb that is native to the United states, growing only in the West.
Rumex occidentalis is a flowering plant species belonging to the family Polygonaceae. Commonly known as western dock, Rumex occidentalis can be found in parts of Western North America.
Maianthemum monteverdense is a perennial flowering plant of restricted distribution. It grows as an epiphyte on trees in high cloud forests of 1600 m + elevation from Nicaragua to Costa Rica.
Maianthemum gigas is a perennial flowering plant. It is found in Mexico and Central America, growing in forest openings and along roadsides or sometimes as an epiphyte on trees.
Zanthoxylum dissitum is a woody plant native to China. It grows in upland thickets and open forests, forests, at 300-2600 m altitude.