Rumex brownii

Family Polygonaceae

Swamp Dock

Herb 50 – 80 cm high, with slender, erect stems and basal leaves. Stems reddish green, sparsely branched, with a short underground stem, and a thick often twisted, branched taproot to 4 cm deep. Longevity 1 – 5 years. Root fragments are capable of regeneration.

Flowers: Greenish red, clustered, October - December.

Fruit: Nut enclosed by valves 2.5 – 4 mm long, with c. 10 hooked teeth, shed at maturity, November–March. Dispersed by adhesion on clothing, animals etc.

Seed: Seed, rusty brown, 3-sided nutlet 1.5 mm long.

Gallery images: seed, seedling, rootstock, resprout

Ecology

• Open woodland habitat and disturbed sites in full sun.
• Occasional in woodland at the Australian Botanic Garden.
• Resprouts after fire.
• Coloniser of disturbed sites.