Rumex pulcher

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Rumex pulcher
Light:Full Sun Part Shade
Moisture:Xeric Mesic
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Height:2'
Blooms:Early Summer-Mid Summer
Native to:
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Rumex pulcher (common name: fiddle dock)

Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.

Division in spring.

Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils but prefers a deep fertile moderately heavy soil that is humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained and a position in full-sun or part shade[1].

Range: Western Europe from Britain south and east to the Mediterranean, Hungary and the Balkans.

Habitat: Dry sunny habitats in sandy soils, occasionally on chalk and limestone[2].

Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[3][4]. Added to salads, they have an acid flavour[5].

Usage: Although no specific mention has been made for this species, dark green to brown and dark grey dyes can be obtained from the roots of many species in this genus, They do not need a mordant[6].

Pollinators: Wind

Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.

Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Known Hazards: Plants can contain quite high levels of oxalic acid, which is what gives the leaves of many members of this genus an acid-lemon flavour. Perfectly alright in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since the oxalic acid can lock-

Links

References

  1. Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  2. Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
  3. Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
  4. Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
  5. Les Ecologistes de l'Euzière. Les Salades Sauvages. 1994.
  6. Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.