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Rumex pulcher
Fiddle dock is a variable, mostly perennial herb in the buckwheat family, growing up to about 70 cm from a thick taproot, with fiddle-shaped leaves and clusters of small flowers. It is a common weedy plant of disturbed ground and is best managed by removing the taproot.
Rumex pulcher is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common name fiddle dock.
It is quite variable in appearance, and some authorities divide it into several subspecies that are more or less distinguishable. In general, it is a perennial herb producing a slender, erect stem from a thick taproot, approaching 70 centimetres (28 in) in maximum height. The top of the plant may bend, especially as the fruit develops. The leaves are up to 10–15 cm (4–6 in) long and variable in shape, though often oblong with a narrow middle in the rough shape of a fiddle.
Sorrel · Sheep's Sorrel · Curled Dock · Toothed dock · Cape spinach · Broad-leaved Dock · Patience Dock · Garden Sorrel · Rambling dock · Willow dock · French sorrel · Dock
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rumex pulcher by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
