My Definitive Guide to Identifying Curly/Yellow Dock

Curly Dock, Yellow Dock or Sour Dock - Rumex crispus Identification
This video is my definitive guide to identifying curly dock, yellow dock, sour dock, or curled dock. The scientific name is Rumex crispus, and you can find it all over North America and Europe. Curly dock is an edible and medicinal plant, but I don't really describe any of the edible and medicinal uses for curly dock in this video. This is all about identification.
Curly/Yellow Dock Leaves
The leaves of curly dock are highly variable. The first and sometimes second year leaves are less curled, wavy or crisped at the edges. Older plants tend to produce longer narrow leaves.
Leaves are lance or oblong shaped, 10-30 cm or 4"-12" long with the classic or typical wavy edges. Their shape is also wedge-shaped to rounded at the bases of the leaves. There is a distinct vein patten on the leaves that I don't know how to describe, and the pattern is more clear on the underside of the leaves.
Ocrea on Rumex Species
At the base of the plant where the leaves emerge, there is a sheath that covers the leaves as they emerge called an ocrea. This ocrea is found in all Rumex species. As it gets old, it turns brown and papery. Leaves at the ocrea feel slimy or mucilaginous.
Rumex crispus Seeds for Identification
The seeds of curly dock have three wings on them and a grain-like swelling. The flowers mloom in early summer to early fall and grow in whorls. They are green in colour when they first grow. The seeds are papery, veined, and the bracts are heart-shaped and reddish brown once they have dried. The seeds can persist for a long time and may still be present on the stems the following spring as is seen in the video. The root of yellow dock is a taproot that can grow up to 1.5 m deep and is yellow to orange in colour. This might be where the name yellow dock comes from.
Sour dock is a perennial species, and identification can be difficult. There is also extensive hybridization among the different Rumex spp. Curly dock can be found all over North America. All docks are said to be edible but some taste better than others. It is also said that they can generally be used interchangeably for medicinal purposes. The stems of curly dock can grow 1 to 4 feet tall.
Distribution of Curly/Yellow/Sour Dock
Curly dock has a wide range of locations it can grow, but it prefers wet nutrient rich soil. The large taproot of yellow dock allows it to survive in low water environments and also to be adaptable to many different environments.
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Please consume wild plants at your own risk! Consult multiple reliable sources before consuming any wild plants! This video is for information and entertainment only!
References
Dickinson, Richard. Weeds of Canada and the Northern United States. The University of Alberta Press. 1999.
Gray, Beverley. The Boreal Herbal: Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North. Aroma Borealis Press. 2011.
Johnson, Derek, et. al. Plants of the Western Boreal Forest & Aspen Parkland. Lone Pine Publishing and the Canadian Forest Service. 1995.
Kallas, John. Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate. Gibbs Smith. 2010.
Kloos, Scott. Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants. Timber Press, Inc. 2017
MacKinnon, A. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. Lone Pine Media Productions (BC) Ltd. 2014.
Parish, R.; Coupe, R.; and Lloyd, D. Plants of the Inland Northwest and Southern Interior British Columbia. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2018
Pojar, Jim and MacKinnon, Andy. Plants of Coastal British Columbia including Washington, Oregon & Alaska. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2004.