Rumex hymenosepalus

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant in knotweed family}}

{{speciesbox

|image = Rumex hymenosepalus 2.jpg

|status = G5

|status_system = TNC

|genus = Rumex

|species = hymenosepalus

|authority = Torr.

|synonyms = Rumex arizonicus
Rumex hymenosepalus var. salinus
Rumex salinus
Rumex saxei

|synonyms_ref = [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250060783 Rumex hymenosepalus.] Flora of North America.

}}

Rumex hymenosepalus, commonly known as canaigre, canaigre dock, ganagra, wild rhubarb, Arizona dock, and tanner's dock,{{GRIN | accessdate = 21 December 2017}} is a perennial flowering plant which is native to the North American deserts in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is a common food plant of the ruddy copper larvae.{{Cite journal|last=Warren|first=Andrew|title=Butterflies of Oregon Their Taxonomy, Distribution, and Biology|journal=Lepidoptera of North America|volume=6}}

Uses

It has been cultivated in the southwestern United States for the roots, a good source of tannin, which is used in leather tanning. It also yields a warm, medium brown dye.[https://www.drugs.com/npp/canaigre.html Canaigre.] drugs.com

The leaves and leaf stalks are considered edible when young, the older leaf stalks cooked and eaten like rhubarb, which is in the same plant family.American Indian Cooking: Recipes from the Southwest, Carolyn Niethammer

Taxonomy

Rumex hymenosepalus was first described by American botanist John Torrey in the Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary in 1859.Torrey, J. 1859. Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary. Botany 2(1): 177–178. 1859.1

;Synonyms

  • Rumex arizonicus Britton
  • Rumex salinus A. Nelson
  • Rumex hymenosepalus var. salinus (A. Nelson) Rech.
  • Rumex saxei nom. nudum. UNAM

References

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