Curly dock
August 24, 2015
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EmailRumex crispus L.
Life cycle
Erect, taprooted simple perennial.
Curly dock seedling.
Leaves
Alternate, long and narrow with round to pointed tips and wavy margins. Leaves are shaped like bacon strips.
Curly dock rosette.
Stems
Forms a basal rosette that bolts prior to flowering, unbranched, reaching 3 to 4 feet in height. A membranous sheath (ocrea) surrounds the stem at the base of each petiole.
Flowers and fruit
Flowers are small, usually greenish and found in clusters on the upper stems, becoming reddish brown at maturity. The seed is enclosed in a single-seeded, shiny, reddish brown, three-sided fruit.
Curly dock flower cluster.
Reproduction
Seeds and fleshy taproot.
Curly dock mature seedhead.
Similar weeds
Broadleaf dock (R. obtusifolius L.) Differs by having much wider, broader leaves and usually heart-shaped leaf bases.
Broadleaf dock rosette (left) and leaf (right).
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