A native of Europe, found in disturbed, usually moist ground on floodplains, along logging roads and borders of forests, in clearings and fields, around buildings. Known in Michigan since gathered by the First Survey in 1838 in Washtenaw Co.

Material too young for the inner tepals to have enlarged and developed teeth may generally be placed by the fact that this is our only species of Rumex in which the leaf blades, at least the lower ones, are broadly and definitely subcordate to cordate and the inflorescence is dense. Hybrids with R. crispus are known (see under that species). The young leaves of all our docks can be eaten as greens, but this one becomes bitter early in the season.