Rumex hydrolapathum - Great Water Dock

Family:	Polygonaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	1.8
Synonyms:
Range:	Western Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to Spain, Italy and S. Russia.

Rumex hydrolapathum (Great Water Dock) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 1.8m . It has a hardness rating of 6and is vunerable to frost.
Great Water Dock will flower in January to March. the seeds ripen from February to March
The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Wind

Soil Information

Great Water Dock will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is not necessary for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Great Water Dock prefers soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Great Water Dock can grow in semi or areas with no shade.

Near ponds and streams, also in shallow water, avoiding acid conditions[17].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Is a pond plant
• A bog garden plant

Cultivation Details

Requires a moist or wet soil, also succeeding in shallow water. Avoids acid conditions in the wild. A very important food plant for the caterpillars of many species of butterfly[30].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 1/5
Young leaves - cooked[2, 105, 183]. Seed - raw or cooked. It can be ground into a powder and used as a flour[102]. The seed is small and rather fiddly to harvest.

• Leaves -
• Seed - includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 1/5
The root is antiscorbutic and strongly astringent[4]. It is harvested in early spring and dried for later use[4]. The green leaves are said to be an excellent application for ulcers of the eyes[4].

• Antiscorbutic - A plant rich in vitamin C that is used to counteract scurvy.
• Astringent - Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
• Ophthalmic - Treats eye complaints.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ. Division in spring.

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-up other nutrients in the food, especially calcium, thus causing mineral deficiencies. The oxalic acid content will be reduced if the plant is cooked. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[238].

Other Uses

The roots contain tannin. In cultivated plants, those grown on dry land contained 6 - 8% tannin whilst those grown in water contained 12.4 - 21.6%[223]. The dried and powdered root makes a good tooth cleaner[4]. 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[168].

• Dye - Plants that provide dyes.
• Tannin - An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.
• Teeth - Plants used to clean and care for the teeth.

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

Flora of the British Isles.
Clapham, Tootin and Warburg.
Author: Clapham, Tootin and Warburg.
Rating:
Publisher : A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
Date of Publication : 1962

The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Huxley. A.
Author: Huxley. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Date of Publication : 1992

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