Scientific Name | Rumex altissimus | USDA PLANTS Symbol | RUAL4 |
Common Name | Pale Dock, Smooth Dock | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 20937 |
Family | Polygonaceae (Buckwheat) | SEINet Reference |
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Description | Habitat: Various soil types in moist, damp locations: disturbed areas (ditches, roadsides, waste ground), swales, wet fields, marshes, shores and riverbanks. Plant: Perennial with smooth stems that are erect or procumbent near the base; 20 to 32 inches tall. Leaves: Alternate, broadly ovate-lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 4 to 10 inches long, up to 3 inches wide, bases wedge-shaped (cuneate) with pointed tips; hairless, toothless, somewhat shiny, the edges slightly wavy; lowest leaves are larger and long-stalked, becoming smaller and shorter stalked upward. Inflorescence: Branching clusters of flowers at the top of the plant, each branch with numerous whorls of flowers, the lower whorls on a branch more widely separated than those near the tip; light green flowers are up to 1/4-inch long with 2 series of triangular to heart-shaped tepals (valves), the outer much smaller than the inner; tubercule present on one inner tepal; tepals spread at flowering time, revealing stamens and styles. Bloom Period: May to August. References: "Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas" by Correll and Johnston, Minnesota Wildflowers and SEINet. |
BONAP Distribution Map![]() |
Texas Status: Introduced |
Banner photo of Castilleja indivisa and Lupinus ssp. taken along FM 1323 north of Johnson City, Blanco County
© Tom Lebsack 2024