**Description:**
– Erect plants with long taproots
– Fleshy to leathery leaves in basal rosette
– Basal leaves may differ from those near inflorescence
– May or may not have stipules
– Minor leaf veins, entire or crenate margins
**Taxonomy:**
– Genus described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753
– Placed in subfamily Polygonoideae within Polygonaceae family
– Genus Emex separated from Rumex in 1819
– Some species in subgenus Rumiceae, including Rhubarb
– Other genera in family include Oxyria and Rheum
**Species:**
– Rumex abyssinicus
– Rumex acetosa (sorrel)
– Rumex acetosella (sheeps sorrel)
– Rumex aegyptiacus
– Rumex aeroplaniformis
**Distribution:**
– Genus has about 200 species
– Native almost worldwide with introduced species in few areas
– Some species considered nuisance weeds
– Some species grown for edible leaves
– Used as food plants by larvae of certain Lepidoptera species
**Uses:**
– Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) historically used to wrap and preserve butter
– Rumex hymenosepalus cultivated in the Southwestern US for tannin extraction and dye
– Edible leaves of most species contain oxalic acid and tannin
– Rumex alpinus used in Austrian medicine for viral infections
– Rumex nepalensis has medicinal uses in the Greater Himalayas
**Fossil Record:**
– Fossil fruits of Rumex sp. found in middle Miocene strata in Denmark
– Fossil fruit of a Rumex species discovered in Middle Miocene deposits in Poland
– Fossil fruits similar to Rumex maritimus and Rumex ucranicus found in Pliocene and Pleistocene Europe
**Nutrition:**
– Dock (Rumex spp.) contains energy, carbohydrates, fiber, fat, and protein
– Rich in vitamins A, C, B1, B2, B3, B6, and B9
– Contains minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc
– Nutritional values per 100g are provided
– Data based on USDA recommendations for adults