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Rumex patientia

Herb-patience · Patience Dock · Spinach Dock

Family PolygonaceaeGenus Rumex

Tall branching panicles of small greenish-yellow flowers rising above broad leaves, in front of a hedge.
The whole plantKrzysztof Ziarnek, KenraizCC BY-SA 4.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Forb/herbPLANTS Database
Flower
Greenish-yellowRead from the photograph on this page
Native range
Afghanistan, Albania, Assam, Austria, Bulgaria, China North-Central and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; Read from the photograph on this page — Deno's Garden; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Patience dock is eaten in spring as a leaf vegetable and as a pie filling in southern Europe, especially in Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Turkey, Bosnia and Serbia. Its leaves contain oxalic acid, so they should not be eaten in excess. Wikipedia: Rumex patientia

Two sources report 5 treatments between them. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1998

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 23, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on March 22, 2024.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 1095 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

about 3 years from start to sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

100% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Rumex p. 59Public domain
Show the original text
Rumex (Polygonaceae). Germinations for the first six were about the same for seeds DS 3 y as for fresh seeds (seelst Suppi. for data on fresh seeds). R. patientia DS 3 y germ. 70D(10% in 2nd w) and 70L(100% in 2nd w).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Rumex p. 59. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1998

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 23, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on March 22, 2024.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 1095 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 3 years from start to sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

10% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Rumex p. 59Public domain
Show the original text
Rumex (Polygonaceae). Germinations for the first six were about the same for seeds DS 3 y as for fresh seeds (seelst Suppi. for data on fresh seeds). R. patientia DS 3 y germ. 70D(10% in 2nd w) and 70L(100% in 2nd w).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Rumex p. 59. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 25, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on March 24, 2025.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 730 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

about 2 years from start to sowing. Then 12 days to germinate.

100% germination in 4–12 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Rumex p. 73Public domain
Show the original text
Rumex (Polygonaceae). Some species require light and others do not. The seeds were DS 8 m when received. They were studied when received. They were also studied after DS for 2 y except for R. patientia DS 8 m germ, 70L{100% in 5-11 d), 70D(5%), and 70 GA-3(none). The germinatiion in 70L was unaffected by a prior 10 w in 70D and only slowed some by a prior 3 m at 40. Seeds DS 2 y germ. 70L(100% in 4-12 d) and 70D(32% in 3-13 d) indicating that the light requirement was disappearing.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Rumex p. 73. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 4

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 24, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on March 23, 2025.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 730 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 2 years from start to sowing. Then 13 days to germinate.

32% germination in 3–13 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Rumex p. 73Public domain
Show the original text
Rumex (Polygonaceae). Some species require light and others do not. The seeds were DS 8 m when received. They were studied when received. They were also studied after DS for 2 y except for R. patientia DS 8 m germ, 70L{100% in 5-11 d), 70D(5%), and 70 GA-3(none). The germinatiion in 70L was unaffected by a prior 10 w in 70D and only slowed some by a prior 3 m at 40. Seeds DS 2 y germ. 70L(100% in 4-12 d) and 70D(32% in 3-13 d) indicating that the light requirement was disappearing.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Rumex p. 73. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 5

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Very high Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around July 19, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on July 18, 2026.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 240 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 8 months from start to sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

5% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Rumex p. 73Public domain
Show the original text
Rumex (Polygonaceae). Some species require light and others do not. The seeds were DS 8 m when received. They were studied when received. They were also studied after DS for 2 y except for R. patientia DS 8 m germ, 70L{100% in 5-11 d), 70D(5%), and 70 GA-3(none). The germinatiion in 70L was unaffected by a prior 10 w in 70D and only slowed some by a prior 3 m at 40. Seeds DS 2 y germ. 70L(100% in 4-12 d) and 70D(32% in 3-13 d) indicating that the light requirement was disappearing.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Rumex p. 73. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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