Common Name: broadleaf dock, bitter, red-veined dockScientific Name: Rumex obtusifolius L.Family Name: Polygonaceae - Smartweed or Buckwheat FamilyIdentification NotesLife Cycleintroduced perennial, reproducing by seed Stemsreproductive, upright, usually solitary, smooth, grooved, nodes swollen, ocrea (papery or membranous sheath) at nodes Leavesbasal leaves broad and ovate, large, smooth, base heart-shaped, usually red veined; stem leaves lanceolate, smaller above Flowersgreen to reddish-brown when mature, small, petals absent; branched terminal clusters Seed Podsshiny, triangular, 3 papery "wings" or heart-shaped appendages, wing margins toothed with 1-2 spines