Allergy Information

Dock is a great potential cause of seasonal allergies. The pollen travels well in the wind, and has caused many positive skin tests in allergy patients. Since Rumex pollinates in a similar time frame to grass, some allergy sufferers may confuse their allergy to Rumex with allergy to grass.

Genus Details

Species of Rumex can be either annual or perennial. The flowers of Rumex are small, dense and come in a variety of colors, from yellow to brown. Rumex is wind pollinated and most species shed abundant pollen that travels far from the plant.

Pollen Description

Pollen grains are oblate-spheroidal to prolate with a thin sexine; the amb rounded triangular to circular and 3-4 colporate. The colpi are long and narrow and the pores are lolongate.

Pollen grains vary in size from 15-35 micrometers.

Genus Distribution

The shaded areas on the map indicates where the genus has been observed in the United States.

- Native, observed in a county 

- Introduced, observed in a county 

- Rarely observed