Yellow dock is a tall perennial with long, sword-like leaves that have curly edges.
Its seed head stands out even during the winter.
Therefore it is crucial that you eliminate yellow dock from your yard as as soon as you spot it.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Yellow dock is mildly toxic to humans and toxic to pets.
Invasiveness of Yellow Dock
Warning
Yellow dock has become naturalized across much of the world.
In some states of the United States, including California and Oregon, yellow dock is considered aninvasive plant.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
It often grows in overwatered soils or areas of standing water and in irrigation ditches.
What Does Yellow Dock Look Like?
Young seedlings are either entirely green or take a red tinge in cooler months.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Mature plants have dark green leaves or bluish-green leaves.
The bottom leaves are quite long, ranging from 1/2 foot to 1 foot in length.
Look, in particular, for the sword-like shape and the curled or wavy edges of the foliage.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
As the leaves age, they become reddish-purple.
Another aid in identifying the plant is its height.
The plant reaches as much as 4 feet tall at maturity.
The fleshy, smooth stems with a reddish color die back in the fall.
Yellow dock has a large, deep taproot that is yellowish-orange in color.
Removing mature plants with their entire tap root is challenging.
If you are dealing with a large infested area, mowing it repeatedly weakens the plant.
Yes, those are two different common names for the same plant,Rumex crispus.
The plant is edible but generally considered too bitter to be palatable.
The exact time is unknown but it has been on the North American continent since colonial times.
The first spotting goes back to the 1700s.
North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.
Utah State University Extension.
Curly Dock.Washington State University Extension Whitman County.
Rumex crispus.North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
Iowa State University Extension and Research.
