These plants have many uses. Broad-leaved dock (''[[Rumex obtusifolius]]'') used to be called ''butter dock'' because its large leaves were used to wrap and conserve [[butter]][[fact]].
These plants have many uses. Broad-leaved dock (''[[Rumex obtusifolius]]'') used to be called ''butter dock'' because its large leaves were used to wrap and conserve [[butter]].{{FACT}}.
The leaves of most species contain [[oxalic acid]] and [[tannin]], and many have [[astringent]] and slightly [[purgative]] qualities. Some species with particularly high levels of oxalic acid are called ''sorrels'' (including sheep's sorrel, ''[[Rumex acetosella]]'', common sorrel, ''[[Rumex acetosa]]'' and French sorrel, ''[[Rumex scutatus]]''), and some of these are grown as [[pot herb]]s or garden [[herb]]s for their acidic taste.<ref>[http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/sorcom64.html Uses of common sorrel (''Rumex acetosa'')]</ref><ref>{{cite journal | journal = J Ethnobiol Ethnomed | date = 2008 | volume = 4 | issue = 4 | doi = 10.1186/1746-4269-4-4 |pmc=2275233 | title = Archival data on wild food plants used in Poland in 1948 | author = Łukasz Łuczaj | pages = 4 | pmid = 18218132}}</ref>
The leaves of most species contain [[oxalic acid]] and [[tannin]], and many have [[astringent]] and slightly [[purgative]] qualities. Some species with particularly high levels of oxalic acid are called ''sorrels'' (including sheep's sorrel, ''[[Rumex acetosella]]'', common sorrel, ''[[Rumex acetosa]]'' and French sorrel, ''[[Rumex scutatus]]''), and some of these are grown as [[pot herb]]s or garden [[herb]]s for their acidic taste.<ref>[http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/sorcom64.html Uses of common sorrel (''Rumex acetosa'')]</ref><ref>{{cite journal | journal = J Ethnobiol Ethnomed | date = 2008 | volume = 4 | issue = 4 | doi = 10.1186/1746-4269-4-4 |pmc=2275233 | title = Archival data on wild food plants used in Poland in 1948 | author = Łukasz Łuczaj | pages = 4 | pmid = 18218132}}</ref>
Members of this family are very common perennial herbs growing mainly in the northern hemisphere, but various species have been introduced almost everywhere.
Some are nuisance weeds (and are sometimes called dockweed or dock weed), but some are grown for their edible leaves.
Flowers of Curled dock (Rumex crispus) with remarkable tubercles
They are erect plants, usually with long tap roots. The fleshy to leathery leaves form a basal rosette at the root. The basal leaves may be different from those near the inflorescence. They may or may not have stipules. There are minor leaf veins. The leaf blade margins are entire or crenate.
The usually inconspicuous flowers are carried above the leaves in clusters. The fertile flowers are mostly hermaphrodite, or they may be functionally male or female. The flowers and seeds grow on long clusters at the top of a stalk emerging from the basal rosette; in many species the flowers are green, but in some (such as sheep's sorrel, Rumex acetosella) the flowers and their stems may be brick-red. Each seed is a 3-sided achene, often with a round tubercle on one or all three sides.
Uses
These plants have many uses. Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) used to be called butter dock because its large leaves were used to wrap and conserve butter.[citation needed].
In Western Europe, dock leaves are a traditional remedy for the sting of nettles[8][9], and suitable larger docks (such as broad-leaved dock Rumex obtusifolius or curled dock Rumex crispus) often grow conveniently in similar habitats to common nettle (Urtica dioica). The Dock leaf is not known to have shown any curative properties of any kind beyond the placebo effect.
Media related to Rumex at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Rumex at Wikispecies