Curly dock
Rumex crispus · Aquatic plants
Whole plant · Photo: Thayne Tuason / CC BY-SA
Also called Sour dock, Yellow dock, Curled dock
Only a lab test shows whether a bloom is toxic. Keep people, pets and livestock out of discolored or scummy water until it is tested.
How to identify Curly dock
- Long, narrow leaves with very wavy, curled edges
- Tall stalks 2 to 4 feet of dense green flowers that turn rusty brown
- Each seed wrapped in three heart shaped wings
- Thick yellow taproot
Similar plants
Native western dock has broad leaves with a heart shaped or squared base and flatter edges, and its seed wings have no small bumps; broadleaf dock has broad leaves with a heart shaped base and seed wings edged with spiny teeth.
Growth profile
| Growing season | Rosettes green up in early spring, flower stalks form May to July, and dead rusty brown stalks stand through winter. |
|---|---|
| Starts growing | Early spring |
| Light | Full sun to part shade |
| Depth | Moist banks to the shallow edge |
| How it spreads | Seeds and resprouting taproots |
| Habitat | Pond banks, ditches, canal banks, wet pastures and disturbed shorelines. |
Why it matters in a lake
A common perennial weed on disturbed pond edges. The leaves contain oxalates that can harm livestock when eaten in large amounts.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Common
- Oregon: Common
- Wyoming: Common
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Caryophyllales |
| Family | Polygonaceae |
| Scientific name | Rumex crispus |
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Inland saltgrassNeed a hand?
Worried about a bloom?
We identify algae under the microscope and test for cyanotoxins, so you know what is in the water and whether it is safe.
Idaho / Wyoming (208) 501-4531Oregon (541) 280-0596