Bloody Dock (Rumex sanguineus)

Bloody Dock, or Red-Veined Dock, is an edible perennial grown as a colorful foliage plant and as a zesty salad green. It is native to Europe, southwest Asia, and northern Africa and has naturalized in parts of the U.S. and Canada.

The green, lance-shaped leaves grow in a rosette 18" high and wide decorated with a network of bright reddish-purple veins that make Bloody Dock a striking plant for a border, container, or around a pond. The young raw leaves give a pop of color to salads and can be cooked like spinach and used in soups, omelets, and sauces. They have a tart, lemony flavor, and zing from oxalic acid, but only young leaves should be eaten because older leaves are tough and bitter. Bloody Dock has antiseptic and astringent properties as well as being high in vitamins A and C.

In the late spring to early summer, 2' to 3' tall flower spikes grow up from the leafy rosette with small, star-shaped, copper-colored flowers. These spikes are usually removed to encourage bushier growth of the rosette and to prevent the plant from self-seeding since it has a tendency to become invasive.

Bloody Dock grows best in full sun but will tolerate some partial shade in rich, moist, well-draining, organic soil. It does well at a pond's edge and can also be grown in a garden as long as the soil is kept consistently moist and well-draining. Bloody Dock is a perennial within its hardiness zone of 4 to 8 but can also be grown as an annual.