Rumex patientia

Rumex patientia, known as patience dock, garden patience, herb patience, or monk's rhubarb, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant belonging to the family Polygonaceae. In spring it is often consumed as a leaf vegetable and as a filling in pies in Southern Europe, especially in Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is also used in Romania in spring broths or sarmale.

Description

A herbaceous perennial plant with a tough rootstock. It grows to 2 m tall. The leaves are long and sword shaped. They are 15-30 cm long by 4-15 cm wide. The upper leaves on the stem do not have leaf stalks. The flowers are small and green. The seeds are brown.

Edible Uses

The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. They are often used like spinach or made into a puree, frequently mixed with a quarter part of sorrel to add flavour. The taste is fairly mild and the leaves make an excellent vegetable, with the additional benefit of being produced very early in the year. The hybrid Rumex patientia x tianschanicus is noted as a good staple crop with balanced carbohydrates.

Traditional Uses

The young leaves are eaten like a vegetable. They are cooked or added to soups. The leaves are used for sarma in Turkey. They are rolled around a filling of rice or minced meat. The roots are sweet and are eaten.

Medicinal Uses

The juice and a root infusion have both been used as a poultice and salve for various skin problems. A root infusion has also been used to treat constipation. The leaves have been rubbed inside the mouth to relieve sore throats.

Known Hazards

Plants can contain quite high levels of oxalic acid, which is what gives the leaves of many members of this genus an acid-lemon flavour. Perfectly alright in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since the oxalic acid can lock-up other nutrients in the food, especially calcium, thus causing mineral deficiencies. The oxalic acid content will be reduced if the plant is cooked. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition.

Distribution

It is a temperate or Mediterranean climate plant. It grows in wetlands. In Sichuan.

Where It Grows

Albania, Armenia, Asia, Balkans, Bosnia, Britain, Bulgaria, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Europe, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Middle East, Mongolia, North America, Pakistan, Palestine, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Türkiye, USA, West Africa, West Indies,

Cultivation

Experimental Crop Industrial Crop: Biomass Management: Coppice Management: Standard Staple Crop: Balanced carbA very easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils, preferring a moist moderately fertile well-drained soil in a sunny position. Formerly cultivated for its edible leaves, these can be available in early February if the winter is mild. An important food plant for the caterpillars of many species of butterfly.The hybrid Rumex patientia x tianschanicus (Hybrid sorrel) is a good Carbon Farming plant. Rumex patientia x tianschanicus cultivation: new crop. Management: standard, coppice. Staple Crop: balanced carb. Industrial Crop: biomass.

Propagation

Sow seed in spring in a cold frame. Prick seedlings out into individual pots once large enough to handle, and plant out during summer. Plants can also be propagated by division in spring.

Other Uses

No specific dye data has been recorded for this species, but roots of many plants in this genus yield dark green to brown and dark grey dyes without requiring a mordant. This plant is associated with carbon farming and food forest systems.

Other Information

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable.

Notes

There are about 200 Rumex species. It is rich in Vitamin A & C.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Ateveligi, Efelek, Evelik, Ilibada, Labada, Lososdi, Lososka, Masnik, Sabia, Salq, Spanakov lapad, Trpežna kislica, Zundaa

References (48)

• Ali-Shtayeh, M. S., et al, 2008, Traditional knowledge of wild edible plants used in Palestine (Northern West Bank): A comparative study. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 4: 13
• Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 535
• Ari, S., et al, 2015, Ethnobotanical survey of plants used in Afyonkarahisar-Turkey. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 11:84
• Cakir, E. A., 2017, Traditional knowledge of wild edible plants of Iğdır Province (East Anatolia, Turkey). Acta Soc Bot Pol. 2017;86(4):3568
• Denes, A., et al, 2012, Wild plants used for food by Hungarian ethnic groups living in the Carpathian Basin. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 81 (4): 381-396

More from Polygonaceae

Rumex occidentalis

Western dock

Rumex papillaris

Acedera

Rumex paraguayensis

Paraguaya dock

Rumex patientia subsp. orientalis

Patience dock

Rumex paucifolius

Fewleaved dock, Alpine Sheep Sorrel

Rumex pictus