Ever noticed the weed that puts out the tall brown spike in fall, such as the one pictured here? That's the dried flower-head of yellow dock
. Once you've identified it as yellow dock, you'll never forget this plant. I love its texture: If you grab the coarse brown spike and slide your hand along it, you'll come away with a handful of small, crispy flakes (the seeds and dried sepals). Makes me think of coffee grounds. Which is ironic, since some people have been known to roast yellow dock's seeds and use them as a coffee substitute! Now, frankly, I'm not about to give up my Maxwell House anytime soon; but there's a medicinal use for yellow dock that I have made use of, which I discuss in this article.
Read article: Yellow Dock
Photo ©2007 David Beaulieu (licensed to About.com)
. Once you've identified it as yellow dock, you'll never forget this plant. I love its texture: If you grab the coarse brown spike and slide your hand along it, you'll come away with a handful of small, crispy flakes (the seeds and dried sepals). Makes me think of coffee grounds. Which is ironic, since some people have been known to roast yellow dock's seeds and use them as a coffee substitute! Now, frankly, I'm not about to give up my Maxwell House anytime soon; but there's a medicinal use for yellow dock that I have made use of, which I discuss in this article.
Read article: Yellow Dock
Photo ©2007 David Beaulieu (licensed to About.com)
Comments
1 tsp yellow dock and 1 pint boiling water is used to treat earmite infestation in cats and dogs.
Curly dock is one of my most troublesome acreage weeds. A large infestation is very difficult to clear without herbicide. Tilling does not go deep enough to get the whole tap root. They will eventually succumb to frequent mowing but it may take 2 to 3 years. Interestingly one of my favorite wildflowers in Nebraska is a close relative, Rumex venosus. It is one of our native docks. One of its common names is veiny dock but it is more commonly called wild begonia because of the resemblance of its flowers to begonia, to which it is unrelated. The flowers themselves are actually tiny. The sepals are large, pink and showy. They flourish in very coarse sandy or gravelly soil. I have never understood why it has not become a popular rock garden plant.
All valid points. Thank you for your thoughts on yellow dock.