Home/Species/ Blumer's Dock

Rumex orthoneurus

Rech. f.

Blumer's Dock

G3Vulnerable Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G3VulnerableGlobal Rank

MediumThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.161236

Element CodePDPGN0P0Z0

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderPolygonales

FamilyPolygonaceae

GenusRumex

Concept Reference

Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Taxonomic Comments

A distinct species in a genus of about 200 species spread world wide.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2023-11-27

Change Date1999-08-16

Edition Date2023-11-27

Edition AuthorsGardner, P.A. (1989), rev. K. Maybury (1996), rev. C. Nordman (2023).

Threat ImpactMedium

Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences21 - 300

Rank Reasons

Blumer's Dock (Rumex orthoneurus) occurs in western North America, in riparian areas in mountain ranges of central and southeastern Arizona, southern and western New Mexico, in the United States, and northern Sonora in Mexico. It is estimated that there are about 68 and between 21 and 300 occurrences. Its habitat is limited and is heavily used for recreation (hiking and camping), and livestock grazing. Some populations are also threatened by mining and road construction. It occurs on about five National Forests in the United States, and on some other conservation lands.

Range Extent Comments

Blumer's Dock (Rumex orthoneurus) occurs in western North America, in riparian areas in mountain ranges of central and southeastern Arizona, southern and western New Mexico, in the United States, and northern Sonora in Mexico. It is known in Arizona from the Chiricahua, Sierra Ancha, Pinaleno, Huachuca, San Francisco and White Mountains, in New Mexico from the Mogollon, Sacramento, and San Mateo Mountains, and in Sonora, from the Sierra de los Ajos. Range extent was estimated to be 102,000 square kilometers, using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1992 and 2023 (Allred et al. 2020, Arizona Rare Plant Committee 2001, Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2005, GBIF 2023, Kearney and Peebles 1960, iNaturalist 2023, NatureServe 2023, SEINet 2023).

Occurrences Comments

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1992 and 2023, it is estimated that there are about 68 and between 21 and 300 occurrences of Blumer's Dock (Rumex orthoneurus) rangewide (GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023, NatureServe 2023, SEINet 2023).

Threat Impact Comments

Habitat is heavily used for recreation (hiking and camping), and livestock grazing, which is the most common management issue (Arizona Rare Plant Committee 2001). Some populations are also threatened by mining and road construction.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Blumer's Dock (Rumex orthoneurus) occurs in high elevation riparian, and cienaga habitats, near perennial springs, in unshaded meadows, marshy ground, or along streamsides in canyons, in loamy or organic, moist soils or shallowly inundated areas at 1158 - 3658 meters (3800 - 12,000 feet) elevation (Allred et al. 2020, Arizona Rare Plant Committee 2001, SEINet 2023).

Ecology

Genetic variation occurs among the different Sky Island populations of Rumex orthoneurus, but within populations, there is a lack of variation in the RAPD banding patterns which suggests long-term isolation, this is corroborated by the chloroplast cpDNA data, as well (Bellsey and Mount 1996).

Reproduction

Blumer's Dock (Rumex orthoneurus) flowers in late July to August, and fruits in August. The fruit are achenes, and it also spreads by rhizomes, which are underground stems (Arizona Rare Plant Committee 2001).

Palustrine Habitats

HERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN3

Province	Rank	Native
New Mexico	S2	Yes
Arizona	S3	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture	Large (31-70%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranching	Large (31-70%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
3 - Energy production & mining	Small (1-10%)	Serious or 31-70% pop. decline	High (continuing)
3.2 - Mining & quarrying	Small (1-10%)	Serious or 31-70% pop. decline	High (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbance	Small (1-10%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	—
6.1 - Recreational activities	Small (1-10%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	—

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (2)

Arizona (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Cherry Creek	Tonto National Forest	11,371
Sierra Ancha Wilderness Contiguous	Tonto National Forest	7,787

References (13)

Allred, K.W., E.M. Jercinovic, and R.D. Ivey. 2020. Flora Neomexicana III: An Illustrated Identification Manual, Second Edition. Part 2: Dicotyledonous Plants.
Arizona Rare Plant Committee (ARPC). 2001. Arizona rare plant field guide: A collaboration of agencies and organizations. Arizona Rare Plant Committee, Phoenix.
Bellsey, R.L. and D. Mount. 1996. Analysis of Rumex orthoneurus, a rare species in Arizona, using RAPD markers and polymorphisms in rcbL. Pages 60-67 In: J. Maschinski, D. H. Hammond, and L. Holter [eds.], Southwestern rare and endangered plants: proceedings of the second conference. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RM-GTR-283 Fort Collins, Colorado.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2005. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 5. Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae: Caryophyllales, Polygonales, and Plumbaginales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. vii + 656 pp.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2023. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2023).
iNaturalist. 2023. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2023).
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Kearney, T.H., R.H. Peebles, and collaborators. 1951. Arizona flora. 2nd edition with Supplement (1960) by J.T. Howell, E. McClintock, and collaborators. Univ. California Press, Berkeley. 1085 pp.
Martin, W.C., and C.R. Hutchins. 1980-1981. A flora of New Mexico. 1980, Vol. 1; 1981, Vol. 2. J. Cramer, in der A.R. Gantner Verlag, K.G., Vaduz, Liechtenstein. 2591 pp.
NatureServe. 2023. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
Rutman, S. 1992. Handbook of Arizona's endangered, threatened, and candidate plants. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Phoenix, Arizona.
Smithsonian Institution. 1980. Draft abstracts on rare plants. Unpublished. Perhaps 100 individual abstracts.
Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2023. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2023).

Rumex orthoneurus

Habitat

Ecology

Reproduction

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