Docks & Smartweeds
Rumex
1 Well-developed leaves hastate or sagittate; male and female flowers on separate plants; fresh foliage pleasantly acid to taste.2 Inner tepals (at fruiting) about as wide as achene, with a minute or absent free wing; pedicel jointed just below tepals .....Sheep's Sorrel
2 Inner tepals (at fruiting) enlarged, longer and wider than achene; pedicel jointed near its middle or base, well below tepals.
3 Leaves sagittate, the lobes pointing downward toward petiole...........................................................................................Common Sorrel
3 Leaves hastate, the lobes spreading, pointing out away from leaf..................................................................................... Heartwing Dock
1 Leaf blades not hastate or sagittate; plants with both male and female flowers; fresh foliage “green” or bitter to taste.
4 Leaves primarily on the stems; inner tepal margins entire.
5 Pedicels 2.5-5× as long as inner tepals; pedicel joint below midpoint of pedicel ................................................................... Swamp Dock
5 Pedicels usually < 2.5× as long as inner tepals; pedicel joint either midpoint of pedicel, or below it.
6 Leaf blades widest toward base; inner sepals 4.5-6mm long, 3-4.5(-6)mm wide ........................................................................Tall Dock
6 Leaf blades widest near middle; inner sepals (2-)2.5-4.5(-5)mm long, (2-)2.5-4(-4.5)mm wide ..................................Triangular Dock
4 Leaves primarily basal, the largest and best developed in a basal rosette (these sometimes withering at maturity, especially in annual
species); inner tepal margins entire or variously dentate.
7 Inner tepal margins prominently dentate, at least some of the teeth > 0.3mm long ................................................ Broad-leaved Dock
7 Inner tepal margins entire, indistinctly notched, or (rarely) minutely denticulate (the teeth then < 0.2mm long).
8 Inner tepals ca. 2× as long as wide, margins entire, largest tubercle almost as wide as inner tepal.
9 Tubercles 3, equal or nearly so in size; inflorescence leafy through at least 2/3 of its length; pedicels 1.4 (-5)mm long
.................................................................................................................................................................................... Clustered Dock
9 Tubercles 1 (or if 3, then one much larger than the other 2); inflorescence leafy only in basal 1/3 or less of its length;
pedicels (2-)4-6(-8)mm long .............................................................................................................................................Wood Dock
8 Inner tepals ca. 1-1.5× as long as wide, margins entire or denticulate, largest tubercle much narrower than inner tepal.
10 Leaf blade 15-30(-35)cm long, 2-6cm wide, margins strongly undulate; inner tepals 3.5-6mm long; tubercles normally 3
(rarely 1-2) ...................................................................................................................................................................... Curled Dock
10 Leaf blade 30-45(-50)cm long, 10-15cm wide; margins flat or weakly undulate; inner tepals (5-)5.5-8(-10)mm long; tubercles
normally 1 (rarely 2-3)................................................................................................................................................ Patience Dock
Polygonum
1 Flowers in terminal or long-peduncled axillary racemes; branches adnate to stems, appearing to arise internodally; plants woody-based,bushy herbs ........................................................................................................................................................................... Coast Jointweed
1 Flowers in small clusters or very reduced racemes of 1-5 flowers, borne in axils of normal-sized or reduced leaves; branches not adnate to
stem and thus not appearing to arise internodally; plants erect or sprawling herbs.
2 Stems with 4 obscure ribs, or lacking apparent ribs; leaf venation parallel, with inconspicuous secondary veins; anthers pink-purple
.......................................................................................................................................................................................... Slender Knotgrass
2 Stems with 8-16 distinct ribs; leaf venation pinnate, the secondary veins apparent; anthers whitish yellow.
3 Perianth bottle-shaped, constricted above the achene .................................................................................................. Erect Knotgrass
3 Perianth more open, not constricted above the achene.
4 Ocreae pruinose; mature tepals white or pink, loosely spreading; achenes smooth, glossy; [coastal habitats] ...Seaside Knotgrass
4 Ocreae not pruinose; mature tepals yellow-green, white, pink, or reddish, appressed to achene; achenes either smooth and
glossy or textured and dull; [mainly inland and disturbed areas].
5 Outer 3 tepals flat, equaling or shorter than the inner 2 sepals ..................................................................... Common Knotgrass
5 Outer 3 tepals cucullate, in fruiting condition distinctly surpassing the inner 2 sepals and concealing them.
6 Plants prostrate; leaves 2.5-5.6 (-10)× as long as wide .................................................................................. Small's Knotgrass
6 Plants ascending to erect; leaves 4-12× as long as wide.
7 Plants bluish green when fresh, turning dark brown to black when dried; leaves rounded or obtuse at the apex; pedicels
1-2mm long; stem leaves 1-2.5(-3.5)× as long as the branch leaves .......................................................... Prolific Knotgrass
7 Plants yellowish green when fresh, not darkening when dried; leaves acute to acuminate at the apex; pedicels 2.5-6mm
long; stem leaves 2.1-3.5(-4.2)× as long as the branch leaves ...................................................................... Bushy Knotgrass
Persicaria
1 Stem, petioles and lower surface of major leaf veins with abundant recurved prickles.2 Ocreae leafy, green, orbicular, perfoliate; tepals becoming fleshy and blue in fruit ...................................................... Asiatic Tearthumb
2 Ocreae papery, not as above; tepals not becoming fleshy or blue in fruit.
3 Leaf blades triangular in outline, the larger 6-11cm wide; perianth 4-parted ............................................. Halberd-leaved Tearthumb
3 Leaf blades lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, the larger 0.8-3cm wide; perianth 5-parted ............................... Arrow-leaved Tearthumb
1 Stem, petioles, and lower surface of major leaf veins unarmed.
4 Styles exserted, persistent on achenes; inflorescences spikelike, interrupted ........................................................... Virginia Smartweed
4 Styles included, rarely exserted, deciduous; inflorescences capitate, paniclelike, or spikelike, uninterrupted or interrupted.
5 Ocreae with a green, herbaceous flange; leaves 3-17cm wide ................................................................................... Oriental Smartweed
5 Ocreae membranous tan, brown, or reddish throughout; leaves < 6(-8)cm wide.
6 Ocreae lacking marginal hairs or with marginal hairs 0-1mm long.
7 Plants perennial, with rhizomes or stolons; leaves lacking a triangular reddish blotch in the middle of the upper surface
................................................................................................................................................................ Dense-flowered Smartweed
7 Plants annual, lacking rhizomes or stolons; leaves often with a triangular reddish blotch in the middle of the upper surface.
8 Outer tepals with 3 strong veins, each forked in an anchor shape; tepals 4(-5); inflorescences usually arching-drooping
.................................................................................................................................................................................... Pale Persicaria
8 Outer tepals with inconspicuous and irregularly-forking veins; tepals 5; inflorescences erect .......... Pennsylvania Smartweed
6 Ocreae with marginal hairs 1-12mm long.
9 Perianth with small but prominent glands.
10 Achenes minutely textured, dull; axillary inflorescences sometimes included within ocreae ..............Common Water-pepper
10 Achenes smooth, shiny; axillary inflorescences never included within ocreae.
11 Perianth glands not uniformly distributed on tepals, mainly on lower portions of outer tepals and on inner tepals
....................................................................................................................................................................... Mild Water-pepper
11 Perianth glands uniformly distributed on tepals, not noticeably absent on upper portions of outer tepals.
12 Inflorescences interrupted; ocreolae mostly not overlapping (especially the lower), margins mostly ciliate with hairs < 2mm
long; leaves 0.6-2.4cm wide ...................................................................................................................... Dotted Smartweed
12 Inflorescences not interrupted; ocreolae usually overlapping, margins usually eciliate or with cilia < 1mm long; leaves
2-4.5cm wide ................................................................................................................................................. Stout Smartweed
9 Perianth lacking prominent glands.
13 Plants annual, lacking rhizomes or stolons.
14 Peduncles stipitate-glandular ....................................................................................................................... Carey's Smartweed
14 Peduncles not stipitate-glandular.
15 Bristles of ocreae (0.5-)1-4(-6)mm long; leaves lacking a triangular reddish blotch in the middle of the upper surface;
achenes triangular in ×-section; styles 3 ....................................................................................... Long-bristled Smartweed
15 Bristles of ocreae 0.2-1.3(-2)mm long; leaves often with a triangular reddish blotch in the middle of the upper surface;
achenes biconvex or triangular in ×-section; styles 2-3 ............................................................................................ Redshank
13 Plants perennial, with rhizomes or stolons; leaves lacking a triangular reddish blotch in the middle of the upper surface.
16 Achenes biconvex; styles 2 ........................................................................................................................... Swamp Smartweed
16 Achenes triangular in cross-section; styles 3.
17 Ocreae hairless, or streaked towards the base (the hairs stiff and appressed)........................................ Mild Water-pepper
17 Ocreae streaked and hairy, at least some of the hairs loosely ascending to spreading ............................ Bristly Smartweed