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Rumex conglomeratus
| Common name: |
Sharp Dock |
Family: |
Polygonaceae |
| Author: |
Murray. |
Botanical references: |
17 |
| Synonyms: |
Rumex glomeratus (Schreb.), Rumex acutus (Sm.) |
| Known Hazards: |
Plants can contain quite high levels of oxalic acid, which is what gives the leaves of many members of this genus an acid-lemon flavour. Perfectly alright in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since the oxalic acid can lock-up other nutrients in the food, especially calcium, thus causing mineral deficiencies. The oxalic acid content will be reduced if the plant is cooked. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[238]. |
| Range: |
Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa, W. Asia. |
| Habitat: |
Damp grassy places, sometimes also found in woods[17]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
1 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 2 |
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Cluster Dock [L], Clustered Dock [H,L,P], Dogue [E], Kluwenzuring [D], Lampee [E], Lapasse Ague [E], Lapato Acuto [E], Patience Aigue [E], Romaza [E], Romaza Medicinel [E], Sharp Dock [B], Sharp Pointed Dock [E], Spitse Zuring [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
conglomeratus = clustered together;
glomeratus = clustered;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Polygonales. Buckwheat family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Britain; Europe; France; Italy; Netherlands; Spain
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 1m. It is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind.
We rate it 1/5 for edibility and
2/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Meadow, Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.Edible Uses
Leaves; Seed.
Leaves - cooked[177]. Eaten as greens[257]. Very bitter, especially as
the leaves grow older[K].
Seed - raw or cooked. It can be ground into a powder and added to flours
when making bread, biscuits etc[102]. The seed is small and fiddly to
harvest.
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antiscorbutic; Astringent; Skin.
The root is antiscorbutic and astringent[4]. An infusion is taken
internally in the treatment of scurvy and as a general blood cleanser. This
infusion is also useful in the treatment of bleeding[4]. Externally it is
made into an ointment and applied to cutaneous eruptions[4, 257]. The root is
harvested in early spring and dried for later use[4].
A decoction of the leaves is used in the treatment of several skin
diseases[4].
Other Uses
Dye.
Dark green to brown and dark grey dyes can be obtained from the roots
of many species in this genus, They do not need a mordant[168].
Cultivation details
Succeeds in most soils but prefers a deep fertile moderately heavy soil
that is humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained and a position in
full-sun or part shade[200].
This species is often confused with R. sanguineus[17].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in situ.
Division in spring.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- Images
from the CalPhoto database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Rumex acutus (a possible synonym).
References for the family Polygonaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[102] Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books 1979 ISBN 0-394-72811-4
Another guide to the wild foods of America.
[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.
[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
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Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Rumex+conglomeratus
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