''Rumex maritimus'', commonly called golden dock, bristle dock, or seashore dock, is an annual plant species of the genus ''

Rumex The docks and sorrels, genus ''Rumex'', are a genus of about 200 species of annual, biennial, and perennial herbs in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. Members of this genus are very common perennial herbs with a native almost worldwide distri ...

''. ''Rumex D maritimus'' grows in Argentina, Burma, Canada, China, and the United States. It is native to Canada and most of the 48 states. The life span of ''Rumex maritimus'' is rarely biennial in moist environments. This herb belongs to the family Polygonaceae.

Description

''Rumex maritimus'' is composed of golden yellow or green/yellow

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

s on its leaves and stem. The plant ranges to be 15 cm to 75 cm high from the base of the plant. The stems of the plant grows upward or laying close to the ground with pedicels as long as 3 to 8 cm. The leaves are wedged shaped, commonly narrow on both ends, but are rarely broadly wedded shaped. Its leaves range from 7 cm wide and 1.5 cm in height to 25 cm wide and 4 cm in height long containing blades that are

lanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...

or lanceolate-linear. The flower of ''Rumex maritimus'' produces 15 to 30 triangular or rhombic triangular flowers ranging from 2.5 mm wide and .75 mm tall and 3mm wide to 1.2 mm tall.

Distribution and habitat

''Rumex maritimus'' is very rare in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

but has been recorded from

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

, Ireland, from about 1870. In Britain it is noted as local. According to the U.S. federal government the Connecticut 'seaside dock' is in special concern for endangerment and in New York 'golden dock' is endangered. Also according to the U.S. federal government ''Rumex'' is classified as a noxious weed. ''Rumex maritimus'' frequently grow in areas that flood with water. Shoots that are elongated are grown during mid summer or summer, while shoots that are not elongated reproduce during its flooding season because the water transports its seeds.

Uses

Most organs in ''Rumex maritimus'' are used for medical purposes. The seeds are used as sex stimulants, aphrodisiac. The leaves are used to cure external burns and ringworm. The roots of ''Rumex maritimus'' are used to cure skin diseases. ''Rumex maritimus'' is used for foods; for example, seeds are ground into powder and are used for porridge. The leaves are cooked as a vegetable.

References

External links

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Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Rumex fueginus''
��''formerly classified as Rumex maritimus''. {{Taxonbar, from=Q164125 maritimus Flora of Canada Flora of Mexico Flora of the Eastern United States Flora of the Western United States Flora of California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora without expected TNC conservation status