Rumex sanguineus

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Rumex sanguineus
Rumex sanguineus Szczaw gajowy 2018-06-10 02.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Genus: Rumex
Species:
R. sanguineus
Binomial name
Rumex sanguineus
L.

Rumex sanguineus, commonly known as wood dock, [1] bloody dock or red-veined dock, [2] is a perennial flowering plant species in the family Polygonaceae. Rumex sanguineus is a dicot and can be observed in Europe with at least two varieties. [3]

Contents

Description

In var sanguineus (red-veined or bloody dock) the leaf veins are bright red, and in var viridis (wood dock) the whole leaf is green. The leaf blade is lanceolate with a more or less pointed tip, and averages 10 to 30 cm (3.9 to 11.8 in) long by 2.5 to 6 cm (0.98 to 2.36 in) wide. Rumex sanguineus grows in shaded or damp habitats, and flowers in summer. The inflorescence occupies the upper two thirds of the stem. The inflorescence is lax, interrupted, and broadly paniculate. [3] There are normally ten to twenty flowers in each well-spaced whorl. The achenes are dark reddish brown to almost black.

The red-veined form is very distinctive. The green form is distinguished from the very similar Rumex conglomeratus by a more slender and erect habit. [4]

Distribution

Rumex sanguineus is common in most of Europe south of about 60 degrees north, but not in Russia and rarely in the Mediterranean. It inhabits damp, shady places, especially in woodland. [1] [4] It is an agricultural weed that can be found in the vegetation surrounding arable fields. [5] [ citation needed ]Rumex sanguineus is not native to North America with most reports of Rumex sanguineus being confused with R. conglomeratus or immature R. obtusifolius.

Use

The wood dock is edible. However, as it contains antinutritive and harmful oxalic acid and its salts (oxalates), it is slightly toxic and should not be eaten in large quantities. [6] (The contents are lower than in the related and better-known sorrel.) It is both used as a wild vegetable and cultivated, with plants and seeds being sold commercially. [7] [8] [9] It contains considerable amounts of vitamin C and carotene. [10] The (preferably young) leaves are eaten, for example, in salads. However, related species such as garden sorrel and French sorrel are generally preferred for use as a vegetable. [2] Wood dock is said to be less flavorsome and more ornamental. [11] Since mainly the leaves are valued, the less conspicuous inflorescences are often removed early to stimulate more vigorous leaf growth and to prevent (possibly heavy) uncontrolled spreading. [6]

References

  1. 1 2 Stace, Clive (2019). New Flora of the British Isles (4th ed.). C&M Floristics. ISBN   9781527226302.
  2. 1 2 "Rumex sanguineus var. sanguineus". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  3. 1 2 "Rumex sanguineus in Flora of North America". efloras.org. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  4. 1 2 T. G. Tutin; et al., eds. (1993). Flora Europaea. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   0-521-41007-X. OCLC   26767809.
  5. Groenman-Van Waateringe, W; Van Driel-Murray, C (April 15, 1980). "The Origin of Crop Weed Communities Composed of Summer Annuals". Vegetatio. 41 (2): 57–59. doi:10.1007/BF00121414. JSTOR   20145755. S2CID   24230775.
  6. 1 2 Susan Mahr. "Bloody Dock, Rumex sanguineus". Wisconsin Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
  7. "Bloody Dock (Rumex Sanguineus)". pondmegastore.com. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  8. "Bio-Blut-Ampfer Topf-Ø ca. 11 cm Rumex kaufen bei OBI". OBI.de (in German). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  9. "Sonstige Kräutersamen online kaufen bei Gärtner Pötschke". Sonstige Kräutersamen online kaufen bei Gärtner Pötschke (in German). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  10. Z. Ilic; Z. Krivošej; L. Amidzic; D. Milincic (December 1997), "Old populations and wild growing vegetable species at Kosovo and Metohija", Acta Horticulturae (462): 439–444, doi:10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.462.63, ISSN   0567-7572
  11. Helena Korpelainen; Maria Pietiläinen (December 2020), "Sorrel (Rumex acetosa L.): Not Only a Weed but a Promising Vegetable and Medicinal Plant", The Botanical Review, vol. 86, no. 3–4, pp. 234–246, doi: 10.1007/s12229-020-09225-z , hdl: 10138/326558 , ISSN   0006-8101