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Genus: Rumex
Genus: Rumex
phylum: Tracheophyta ~ class: Magnoliopsida ~ order: Caryophyllales ~ family: Polygonaceae
phylum: Tracheophyta ~ class: Magnoliopsida ~ order: Caryophyllales ~ family: Polygonaceae
subfamily: Polygonoideae
subfamily: Polygonoideae
genus: Rumex
genus: Rumex
Links
Links
iNaturalist: photos, local observations, and lots of information
Eflora.org - Flora of North America: key it out, and find what species you have
Calflora: if you're in California, look to see which species is native (and then leave it alone!)
Wikipedia: For everything else
A Four Season Feast
A Four Season Feast
Docks and sorrels are plentiful in California, and finding non-native or invasive species for some insavore (a meal based on invasive or non-native species) snacking is relatively easy. They provide spring and summer forage with leaves, stems, and flowers, and fall and winter forage with roots and seeds. They are good plants for beginners because although identity to species may be challenging, identifying the genus is quite easy, and the genus is all you need to determine edibility. Also, the Native species can be protected by following a checklist - see the native section below.
Edibility
Edibility
Everything above ground is edible (but may not be palatable). Some roots may be edible as well but many are not, so do you own research here. As with most foraged greens, the younger the plant, the more likely it will taste yummy raw. If the greens or stalk are too bitter or tough, try par-boiling (boil several times, changing water and tasting after each boil). It may still not be palatable, so learn as you go. Leaves can also be dried, either individually or braid and then dry. Seeds are plentiful and easy to collect. Seeds may be hard to separate, but the seed coverings are also edible, so if you’re not concerned about a little extra fiber, leave them in. Crack and eat as porridge or grind for flour.
Cautions: plants are high in oxalic acid, and may have mild (a few report not so mild) laxative effect.
Recipes
Recipes
I've just figured this one out, so I don't yet have much experience here. I'll update as I learn.
Other Uses
Other Uses
Dyes are made from stems, leaves, roots and seeds.
Some species roots are used for tanning (high tannin).
Some species used for medicine, especially roots.
Ocrea
Ocrea
Inflorescence
Inflorescence
Tepals with Tubercles
Tepals with Tubercles
Tepals with Teeth
Tepals with Teeth
Photo CC0 from iNaturalist.
Identifying Genus Rumex
Identifying Genus Rumex
Rumex plants have abundant inflorescences of tiny flowers, and the resulting seed heads tend to be persistent. It’s often the flower or seed heads you’ll see first. Examining the stalk can provide a positive ID. All Rumex have swollen nodes and a tissue that sheaths the stem at the nodes (called ocrea or ochrea). The ocrea may be deciduous, although bits of it usually remain even if most of it falls off.
Genus checklist:
Genus checklist:
Herbaceous plants, stalks with abundant inflorescences of tiny flowers in shades of green, gold, pink, white, and red that mature into red-brown, dark brown, or golden seeds. Tepals enlarge to include the seed. Leaves are simple, entire, or rarely scalloped (crenate), may be lobed at the base, may be undulate to crisped. Papery covering (ochrea) at nodes and/or inflorescence, nodes are swollen.
Is it sorrel or dock?
Is it sorrel or dock?
Sorrels are smaller plants, with much smaller, usually hastate or sagittate leaves and unisexual flowers. They taste lemony. Docks generally do not have lobed leaves, have bisexual flowers, and are often quite large. They are more bitter or astringent tasting.
Identifying species:
Identifying species:
For species-level ID, examine leaf (basal lobes, base shape, tip shape, size), and inner tepals (the ones that enlarged to cover the seed). Tepal shape, apex, base, size, margins, and coloring may be useful in species ID. Also note the presence, number, and comparative size of tubercles.
There are many native species of Rumex, and if we’re foraging, we try to leave those puppies alone. There are also a bunch of non-natives, and two invasive species: R. acetosella (sheep sorrel) and R. crispus (curly or yellow dock).
Botanical Vocabulary
Botanical Vocabulary
Node: the joint of the stem and leaf
Ocrea: (also spelled ochrea) a papery covering around the stalk and/or inflorescence at a node. Technically it’s a pair of modified fused stipules.
Margin: the edge of something (for Rumex, we talk about the margins of leaves and tepals a lot.
Entire: smooth
Dentate: toothed (this can describe lots of shapes, but there’s some sort of jaggedness here - it might be anything from long thin bristles to short fat triangles sticking out from the edge)
Tepal: On a flower, when it’s not clear if a thing is a sepal or a petal, we can punt and call it a tepal.
Tubercle: a swelling or warty protuberance. In Rumex, they look like little grains of rice in the middle of the tepal.
Undulate or Crisped: describe the 3d shape of something (in our case, leaves). They describe a ruffly sort of appearance - undulate is gently to moderately wavy and crisped is very wavy.
Willow-like leaf: a flat lanceolate leaf that tapers at both the base and the apex.
Ruling out California Natives
Ruling out California Natives
CA natives
CA natives
R. paucifolius (alpine sheep sorrel): found between 2000 and 3000 feet. It’s a sorrel without lobed leaves. If you’re climbing a mountain and see a small Rumex with oval to almost circular tepals, consider R. paucifolius.
Willow leaved docks: it’s likely that any willow leaved dock you find is a native. One species (R. utahensis, Utah willow dock) may not be – but for simplicity’s sake, let’s just leave them all be.
Tubercles absent: it’s also likely that any plant without tubercles is native.
Three tubercles on tiny dentate tepals: two natives have teeth as long as the width of the tepals (R. persicarioides), or more than 1.5 times the width – up to 4x (R. fueginus). They have green to white to yellow flowers.
Invasive Species in California
Invasive Species in California
R. crispus (curly or yellow dock): While this plant is common in California, it’s also over-identified. Leaves on R. crispus are usually 15-30 cm long, Stretched out on my arm, with the apex at my fingertip, the base falls between my wrist and the middle of my forearm. They are 2-6 cm wide which is narrower than my palm. The margins are strongly crisped. The tepal margins are entire, and each flower usually has 3 tubercles.
R. acetosella (sheep sorrel): Look for stems 10 - 40 cm tall, hastate leaves, and lax inflorescences in shades of green to gold to red.
Other notable non-natives:
Other notable non-natives:
R. sanguineus (Wood or Redvein Dock): easily identified by dark red veins.
R. pulcher (Fiddle Dock): have leaves with a waist – hence the ‘fiddle.’
R. obtusifolius (Broadleaved Dock): have large and wide leaves (20-40 cm long, 10-15 cm wide). Stretched out on my arm, with the apex at my fingertip, the base of the shortest leaves is past my wrist, and the base of the longest leaves is just past my elbow. The leaves are at least as wide as my palm and sometimes double my palm width. They usually have a heart-shaped (cordate) base and inflorescences in lax whorls. Inner tepals are dentate, with 1 tubercle.
The rest of the story:
The rest of the story:
There are a ton more Rumex species and they also readily cross, so even if you key it all the way out, you may end up with a mixed result. Because the natives are so easy to eliminate, I'm comfortable that I'm able to protect any natives by leaving anything with willow leaves, with zero tubercles, or three tubercles on tiny highly dentate tepals, off the menu.
R. hymenosepalus
R. hymenosepalus
Note the distinctive leaf and flower color on this California native.
Photo CC0 from iNaturalist.
Flower Detail R. humenosepalus
Flower Detail R. humenosepalus
No tubercles, one of my signs that a Rumex sp. is more likely to be CA Native.
Photo CC0 from iNaturalist.
Leaf and Node Detail R. acetosella
Leaf and Node Detail R. acetosella
The small size and hastate leaves, and presence of the ocrea are all signs of Sheep Sorrel, invasive in CA (and delicious)
Photo CC0 from iNaturalist.
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