Rumex sanguineus
Red Dock
Common names: Blood Dock
Photo: Hinko Talsma · Public Domain · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Red Dock (Rumex sanguineus) is a perennial herb with dark green leaves streaked by bright red veins, making it an attractive ornamental plant and a flavorful salad green. The young leaves taste pleasantly tart and are well suited for mixed salads or herb quark. Like all dock species, it contains oxalic acid, so it should be used sparingly as a condiment rather than a main dish. It thrives best in partial shade under light trees or on the north side of a bed, where the leaf color remains especially vivid. As a hardy wild perennial, it can tolerate a dry summer day without wilting.
Care instructions
Plant Red Dock in spring (mid‑April, weeks 16‑20) or late summer (August‑September) in loose, humus‑rich soil. Keep the soil consistently moist but avoid water‑logged spots. Regularly prune the leaves from the outside inward to encourage fresh growth and reduce flower heads. Remove flower spikes early if you prefer a lush leaf rosette over seed production; otherwise the plant will become floriferous. In winter the plant retreats and reliably regrows the following spring; a layer of leaf mulch protects the roots.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
moist, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, loamy
Feeding
Medium feeder
Notes from real gardens
What other gardeners have written down about this variety — anonymous, voluntary.
No notes shared yet. Will you be the first to write one down?