Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Rumex dumosus
Common name
Wiry dock
Family
Polygonaceae
Where found
Woodland, mallee, grassy areas, and moist sites. ACT. Tablelands south of the Hume Highway. Occasionally elsewhere.
Notes
Perennial herb to 0.5 m high, with many entangled branches, the plant breaking off near the base when dry and dispersing as a tumbleweed. Leaves with a sheath at the base of the stalk, margins usually irregularly wavy and finely curled. Basal leaves 7–20 cm long, 8–25 mm wide. Stem leaves within the flower whorls, similar to the basal leaves but smaller, soon withering. Flowers small, with 6 'petals', in whorls of 2–5-flowers, the whorls mostly 2–8 cm apart. Flowers Sep.–Jan. Seed cases triangular, the surfaces with a prominent network, margins with 2–3 stiff teeth toward the base.
All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Rumex~dumosus (accessed 5 February, 2021)
This identification key and fact sheets are available as a free mobile application:
