Veiny dock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Veiny dock |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Rumex
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| Species: |
venosus
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Rumex venosus, also known as veiny dock or winged dock, is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the knotweed family, which also includes useful plants like rhubarb and buckwheat. This plant grows naturally in central and western North America, from southern Canada all the way down to Mexico.
You can find veiny dock in many different places. It grows in areas with sagebrush, dunes, and other sandy spots. It is often seen in pastures where animals graze a lot. This is because livestock usually avoid eating veiny dock, allowing it to spread easily. The plant is also a common food source for the caterpillars of the ruddy copper butterfly.
What Does Veiny Dock Look Like?
Veiny dock is a plant that lives for many years. It grows stems that can be flat on the ground, spread out, or stand upright. These stems are usually 10 to 40 centimeters (about 4 to 16 inches) tall. The plant grows from a root system that spreads underground.
Its light green leaves are shaped like a spear or an oval. They can be smooth or have wavy edges. The leaves are typically 5 to 10 centimeters (about 2 to 4 inches) long and 1 to 6 centimeters (about 0.4 to 2.4 inches) wide.
The plant's flowers grow in dense clusters. These clusters can be found where the leaves meet the stem or at the very top of the plant. The actual flowers are small and green, so they are not very noticeable. However, the plant gets its bright pink color from special parts of the flower called sepals. As the fruit ripens, these sepals grow larger, up to about 1.5 centimeters (about 0.6 inches) across. They become very veiny and turn a bright pink, surrounding the tiny fruit. Veiny dock flowers throughout the summer.
Uses of Veiny Dock
Like other plants in the dock family, Rumex venosus can be eaten. However, its young leaves can be quite sour. The leaves and shoots stay soft for most of the growing season. This means they can be cooked like other leafy greens, similar to beet shoots. You might need to boil them a few times to make them less bitter.
The small fruits, called achenes, can be boiled into a soft paste or ground into flour. But separating the seeds from their husks takes a lot of time.
Docks are known to have a lot of vitamin C and beta-carotene. For example, another type of dock, Rumex crispus, has more vitamin C than oranges and more beta-carotene than carrots!
People have also used the leaves of dock plants to help with the stinging feeling from nettles. Dried dock leaves can be made into a powder. This powder was used to help wounds heal faster. Docks also contain natural compounds that can help with digestion and fight against some bacteria, parasites, and fungi. There is also evidence that Native Americans used the roots of these plants to make an orange dye. The roots were also crushed and used as a poultice, which is a soft, moist mass applied to the body to relieve pain or inflammation.
Important Safety Tips
Even though Rumex venosus can be eaten, it contains natural substances called oxalates. If you eat too much of these, they can cause an upset stomach, cramps, or diarrhea. You would need to eat a very large amount to feel these effects.
However, it's best for certain people to avoid eating docks. This includes people with kidney problems, older adults, and young children. If you do eat docks, serving them with a creamy sauce can help. Calcium in dairy products can help to reduce the effects of the oxalates.
