Rumex utahensis

Toothed willow dock

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Toothed willow dock is a California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada Mountains in wet meadows, river and streambanks, and rocky slopes at elevations of 1,000 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces small flowers in dense, interrupted whorls along axillary and terminal branches. Growing with ascending or erect stems 15 to 40 centimeters tall and developing axillary shoots below the primary flower clusters, it forms a distinctive vertical taproot. Its linear to lanceolate leaves measure 6 to 15 centimeters long and 2 to 3 centimeters wide, with entire margins and acute tips. The fruit is dark red-brown to black, small and compact, measuring approximately 1.8 to 2 millimeters long.

Habitat: Wet meadows, river and streambanks, rocky slopes

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 1000-3500 m

Bioregions: c&amps SNH, expected elsewhere

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.