Common name:
Western dock
Scientific name:
Rumex aquaticus
Synonym:
Rumex occidentalis
Range:
Scattered areas of all the western states
Habitat:
Moist locations, from lowlands to high mountains
Leaves:
Alternate; lanceolate, or cordate (heart-shaped), with long stalks and wavy edges
Wester dock, rumex aquaticus, is found in all the western states, in moist locations from low to high elevations. Large heart-shaped leaves grow around the base, and smaller, ovate leaves along the branched stalks which hold the elongated inflorescence. Flowers are greenish pink to red around the edge, with three sepals surrounding three central scales, at the end of a short stalk, and they grow densely along the uppermost 10 to 20 inches of the stems.