Species
Rumex sagittatus
Etymology
Rumex: sorrel
Common Name(s)
climbing dock
Family
Polygonaceae
Flora Category
Vascular - Exotic
RUMSAG
The
National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
Structural Class
Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites
Habitat
Terrestrial.
Features
Climbing or scrambling, dioecious or monoecious perennial with tuberous woody rootstock; stems to approx. 3m long, glabrous, flexuous. Leaves all similar. Petioles slender, >= lamina. Lamina 3~8 x 2~6cm, triangular or hastate with 2 long basal lobes at 45¦ to petiole, otherwise entire, slightly puberulent on main veins below when young; sinus broad and rounded; apex acuminate to cuspidate. Panicle pyramidal, with small leaves in the lower axils only. Pedicels filiform, long, glabrous. Perianth 1.5~2mm long, green; outer segments generally ovate-oblong, becoming strongly reflexed in female flowers. Fruit valves 6~9mm diam., orbicular, entire, prominently reticulate, cordate, yellow, pink to crimson; tubercles 0. Nuts approx. 3mm long, glossy light brown; keels almost winged. (-Webb et. al., 1988)
Similar Taxa
Climbing or scrambling, dioecious or monoecios perennial with stems up to 3m long (Webb et al., 1988). A plant with tuberous woody rootstocks (Porteus 1993; Webb et al., 1988). Fruit parts heart-shaped, yellow or pink to crimson (Webb et al., 1988).
Flowering
November, December, January, February, March
Flower Colours
Green
Year Naturalised
1935
Origin
South Africa
Reason For Introduction
Ornamental
Life Cycle Comments
Perennial.
Seed
Papery seed with three wings (Coastcare, 1998)
Dispersal
Seeds are dispersed successfully by wing and germinate easily (Ermert and Clapp 1998).
This page last updated on 18 Jan 2010