Leaf
SigTif, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Curled dock
Rumex crispus L.
Also known as: Curly dock
Family: Polygonaceae
50 cm to 1 m
Wasteland, track margins, wet meadows
Flowering: June – August
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to -30°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
The very wavy, curled leaf margin, as if frizzed, gives the species its name. Curled dock has large, narrow leaves with a strongly wavy, curled margin, whereas common sorrel has smaller, spear-shaped leaves with a sagittate base and a recognisable tangy taste.
🍃 Leaves
Long, narrow, margin strongly wavy-curled
🌸 Flowers
Small, greenish, in dense whorls along the stem
🍎 Fruits
Small brown achene surrounded by winged valves
🪵 Bark
Sturdy, upright herbaceous stem
🗺️ Distribution
Europe, Asia, now cosmopolitan; very common in France in meadows and waste ground
🐝 Value for pollinators
Mainly wind-pollinated, of little interest to pollinators
✂️ Horticultural uses
Regarded as a weed of grassland, with no ornamental use
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Leaves rich in oxalates, to be eaten in moderation
⚠️ Look-alike species
Curled dock
Rumex crispus
Common sorrel
Rumex acetosa
Curled dock has large, narrow leaves with a strongly wavy, curled margin, whereas common sorrel has smaller, spear-shaped leaves with a sagittate base and a recognisable tangy taste.
🌿 Other Polygonaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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