Edge/ Curled Dock

COMMON NAME: Curly Dock

OTHER COMMON NAME(S): Sour Dock, Yellow Dock, Patient Dock, Wild Spinach, Wild Pie Plant

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rumex crispus

FAMILY: Polygonaceae

COMMUNITY: Edge

STATUS: Naturalized

LIFESPAN: Perennial

HEIGHT: 1 to 6 Feet

FLOWERING TIME: Mid-May to late July

FRUITING TIME: June to September

DISTRIBUTION: Statewide in NJ

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS: Leaves 6-10 inches long, heart-shaped, alternate, entire, curled edges 3 to 5 feet tall ~ Tiny, dense green blossoms in baton-like clusters on a brown seed stalk

GENERAL INFORMATION: Members of this family (Polygonaceae), commonly called the Buckwheat or Smartweed family, include 51 genera and 1,150 species.  Polu means “many” and gonu means “knee” for the swollen stem joints of many species.  Food plants in this family include Buckwheat, Sorrel and Rhubarb. The Lenni Lenape Indians believed that when the top (blossom) of the Curled Dock turned brown, the huckleberries would be ripe. The 1998 edition of the Physicians’ Deck Reference for Herbal Medicines reports that Curled Dock is used for acute and chronic inflammation of nasal passages and respiratory tract. It has antibacterial properties.  Traditionally it has been used as a decoction (medicine prepared by boiling thick parts of a plant and ingested hot or cold) for scurvy and other skin eruptions and as a “blood cleaner”. In folk medicine, the root was prepared as a poultice it could be used as an astringent to aid in healing cuts and as a constituents of a spring tonic. Very young leaves can be added to fresh salad or boiled as a vegetable, similar to spinach.  Curled Dock is rich in protein and vitamin A.  Seeds can be roasted and used a beverage (coffee substitute).

Please note: While harvesting wild berries/fruit is permitted at Island Beach State Park, visitors must adhere to park regulations at all times and must not damage vegetation or go off designated trails.  This information is presented for educational purposes.