All you need to know about dock leaves, including their value to wildlife and how to deal with them.
Dock plant or dock leaf is a perennial native plant usually referred to simply as ‘dock’. While generally considered a weed in gardens due to its abundant seeding and persistent, vigorous growth, dock is an excellent wildlife plant as the leaves are an important food plant for many insects, including caterpillars, which are eaten by birds and hedgehogs. Applying dock leaves to soothe nettle strings is a traditional remedy.
Dock leaves are a common sight in many gardens, but you may not know much about identifying these large-leaved plants. This guide provides helpful pictures and information to recognizing dock, a beneficial wild edible and medicinal weed.
What is a Dock Leaf?
Dock refers to a few similar species of large-leaved perennial plants in the Polygonaceae family The two most common dock species found in gardens are
- Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius)
- Curled dock (Rumex crispus)
These fast-spreading plants are considered weeds by some due to their aggressive growth. However, their large leaves also make them valuable to wildlife. Knowing how to identify dock leaves is helpful knowledge for any gardener
Key Features of a Dock Leaf
Here are the main visual characteristics to look for when identifying dock leaves:
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Large size: Leaves grow up to 30 cm long. Significantly bigger than most common garden plants.
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Simple shape: Leaves are smooth-edged or slightly wavy, widest at the base and coming to a rounded tip.
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Rosette growth: Leaves radiate out in a circle around a central taproot, like a starburst.
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Color: Leaf color is a medium green. Young leaves may have a red/purple tint on the undersides.
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Texture: Leaves feel thick or fleshy to the touch. Smooth and matte both above and below.
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Flowering stems: Tall, reddish-brown flowering spikes rise up in summer, reaching 60-150 cm high.
Once you learn to recognize dock’s large, spreading leaves in a rosette shape, you’ll start spotting it everywhere!
Dock Leaf Pictures
Here is a visual guide to help identify dock leaves through photos:
![Broad dock leaf rosette][]
A mature dock plant showing the characteristic rosette of large leaves spreading out from the central taproot.
![Curly dock leaf closeup][]
Close-up of a curled dock leaf showing the wrinkled edges.
![Dock leaf outline][]
Leaf outlines showcase the simple oval shape with rounded tip.
![Dock leaves sprouting][]
Young dock leaves sprouting up from bare soil in early spring.
![Dock leaf top view][]
View from above shows the smooth leaf surface and matte texture.
![Dock leaf underside][]
Underside view displays the purple-red leaf veins and smooth, matte surface.
I hope these dock leaf pictures help you identify this common garden plant! Now that you know what dock looks like, you can allow it to thrive in wildlife zones or remove it from planting beds where it’s unwanted.
Why Learn to Identify Dock Leaves?
Being able to recognize dock leaves is helpful for a few key reasons:
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Weed control – Dock spreads aggressively. Identifying dock helps remove it from garden beds.
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Wildlife benefits – Dock leaves feed caterpillars and other insects, which birds then eat. Allowing some dock plants to remain provides food for wildlife.
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Medicinal uses – Historically, dock leaves were rubbed on skin to soothe nettle stings. Identifying dock leaves allows utilizing this traditional remedy.
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Edibility – Dock leaves are edible when young, so identification lets you harvest some for salads or cooking if desired.
Take a walk through your garden and see if you can spot the large, spreading leaves of dock plants. Once you learn its visual cues, you’ll be dock leaf detecting in no time!
What are dock leaves?
Dock is a large-leaved and deep-rooted perennial plant. Two species are widespread in the UK: broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) and curled dock (Rumex crispus). Both species of dock are listed as ‘injurious’ under the Weeds Act of 1959 which was created with the aim of preventing their spread onto agricultural land, but it’s not an offence to have docks growing in a garden.
There are other, unrelated, native plants that have ‘dock’ in their names, which are not related to broad-leaved or curled dock. These include burdock (Arctium minus) and common bistort (Persicaria bistorta) which is also known as ‘passion dock’.
How to control dock without chemicals
Dig out as much of the deep root as possible – a spade with a narrow, deep blade is the best tool for the job. Removing the top 15cm of root is usually sufficient to prevent dock regrowing.
Early spring is a good time to get on top of dock. Its best to remove the plants when theyre young and easy to dig up. Where docks have grown through the root systems of established plants, loosen the soil on each side of the plant to carefully pull out the root.
Chemical-free weed control methods such as organic weedkillers and weed burners, will kill top growth and weaken docks but won’t kill the roots.
If you can wait over a year, the easiest way to kill docks and other perennial weeds is to cover the soil with a material that excludes all light. Plants need light to manufacture food, so in the dark, even the toughest weeds will succumb in time. Use a material such as weed control fabric, black polythene or old carpet to completely cover all plants and soil. It’s important to weigh down or bury the edges to keep out all light. After you have successfully killed the dock plants by excluding light, you can clear the area and replant. However, bear in mind that dock seeds can live for up to 60 years so you will need to remove new plants as and when they germinate.
Dock Leaf
FAQ
How to tell if it’s a dock leaf?
Also note the blotches. Docks tend to get these when the leaves get older — if you see those blotches, move on: The leaves will likely be bitter and leathery. Dock leaves are hairless, too, so if you see leaves that are fuzzy or bristly, it’s not dock.
What is the real name for dock leaf?
Rumex obtusifolius. Rumex obtusifolius, commonly known as bitter dock, broad-leaved dock, bluntleaf dock, dock leaf, dockens or butter dock, is a perennial plant in the family Polygonaceae. It is native to Europe, but is found on all temperate continents.
What is a dock leaf good for?
Dock leaf and the sap from the base of the leaf is used for chronic skin conditions like acne and eczema, which often have an underlying cause in liver congestion. It can be used as a poultice or internally for this, you could also use for itchy chicken pox.
What can you use instead of a dock leaf?
use in folk medicine to help when stung by nettle. Personally I find that a plantain (plantago) leaf is far more beneficial than a dock due to its anti-histamine properties. If you live in a temperate climate you won’t ever be too far away from dock leaves as they populate almost everywhere.
How do you identify Dock leaves?
Here is a visual guide to help identify dock leaves through photos: [Broad dock leaf rosette] A mature dock plant showing the characteristic rosette of large leaves spreading out from the central taproot.! [Curly dock leaf closeup] Close-up of a curled dock leaf showing the wrinkled edges. ! [Dock leaf outline]
What does a dock leaf look like?
Dock plants form rosettes of large oval green leaves with distinct midribs. Broadleaf dock leaves are flat, while curled dock has curly-edged leaves. Because of its traditional use on nettle stings, the dock leaf is generally well-recognised. What is dock leaf good for?
What is a dock leaf used for?
The roots and leaves are used in traditional Austrian medicine internally to treat viral infections. The milk in the dock leaf contains tannins as well as oxalic acid which are considered as an astringent. The leaves are also used to soothe blisters, burns and nettle stings. The tea which is prepared from root is used to cure the boils.
Are Dock leaves edible?
Edibility – Dock leaves are edible when young, so identification lets you harvest some for salads or cooking if desired. Take a walk through your garden and see if you can spot the large, spreading leaves of dock plants. Once you learn its visual cues, you’ll be dock leaf detecting in no time!
Are Dock leaves good for nettle stings?
Wildlife benefits – Dock leaves feed caterpillars and other insects, which birds then eat. Allowing some dock plants to remain provides food for wildlife. Medicinal uses – Historically, dock leaves were rubbed on skin to soothe nettle stings. Identifying dock leaves allows utilizing this traditional remedy.