Veiny Dock (Rumex venosus)
Description
Rumex venosus is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common names veiny dock, winged dock, and wild-begonia (it is not related to genus Begonia). While not of any particular agricultural use, its cousins Rhubarb and Buckweat are. It is native to central and western North America, from southern parts of the Canadian prairies, through to Mexico. It can be found in many types of habitat, including sagebrush, dunes, and other sandy areas. It is commonly found in heavily grazed pastures as livestock tend to avoid it, allowing veiny dock to spread uninhibited. It is a perennial herb producing decumbent, spreading, or upright stem 10 to 40 centimeters tall, usually with a few branches. It grows from a creeping rhizome. The light green leaves are lance-shaped to oval with smooth or wrinkled edges, growing 5-10 centimeters long and 1-6 centimeters wide. The inflorescence grows as either an axillary or terminal panicle and is densely flowered. The flowers themselves are not showy, being green and inconspicuous. They have 6 sepals, 6 stamen, and 1 pistil. The bright, pink colour of the flowers comes from the inner sepals of each flower when the fruit matures. The sepals enlarge to about 1.5 centimeters across, turning quite veiny, and surround the achene. Flowering period is throughout the summer.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Caryophyllales
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Family: Polygonaceae
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Genus: Rumex
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