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Rumex verticillatus L.
Swamp Dock
Synonym(s): Rumex floridanus Meisn.
Florida native
A frequent plant of swamps, marshes and along the edges of ponds and rivers throughout Florida. The range includes most of the eastern United States west into New Mexico, Nebraska and Minnesota, but not in New Hampshire or Maine. Also found in Ontario and Quebec.
This perennial plant typically grows to 1-1.5m (3 to 5 ft.) tall with green or reddish-brown stems. Leaves are alternate, with branches of several more leaves arising from the leaf axils, giving the appearance of somewhat whorled leaves. Leaves are entire, elliptic to lanceolate. The inflorescences are narrowly paniculate, both terminal and axillary and are made up of many small flowers. Each flower is made up of somewhat triangular-shaped tepals and three tubercles. The flowers are in whorls on pedicels that are three to five times as long as the tepals. Fruit is a brown achene 2.3-3.1mm (~1/8 in. or slightly less) long and 1.6-2.2mm (~1/32 in. or slightly more) wide.
Rumex verticillatus is a member of the Polygonaceae - Buckwheat family.
Other species of the Rumex genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Rumex hastatulus - HEARTWING DOCK
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Apr 09, 2023
