Broadleaved dock
Botanical name
Rumex obtusifolius
Details
Benefits
- Perennial weed with large broad leaves and a thick, strong taproot
- Most common in damp waste places and pastures, especially in higher fertility areas such as stockyards, cowsheds, water troughs and gardens.
- Up to 1m tall when flowering at almost any time of the year. Stems erect and leafy with whorls of green to red flowers that later turn brown
- Leaves broad and flat, heart-shaped at the base.
- Grow to 35 cm long and 15 cm wide, hairy underneath and with long stalks
- Fruit are small, heart-shaped, brown, three angled nuts approximately 2.5 mm long
- Stems become stiff and woody as the plant matures.
Benefits
- Leaves can be used to soothe a range of skin irritations including mosquito bites and nettle rash
- Leaves may be used in cooking (cream soup and casseroles). and also in salads
- Roots have been used as a coffee substitute.
Related
Comfrey Confusion - Plant Identification
It's one of the cornerstone plants in permaculture and forest gardening. Comfrey is a deep rooted leafy perennial that provides a range of benefits and uses.
There are a number of other plants that have a similar appearance and look a bit like comfrey.
