| Rumex hymenosepalus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Polygonaceae |
| Genus: | Rumex |
| Species: | R. hymenosepalus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Rumex hymenosepalus | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Rumex arizonicus | |
Rumex hymenosepalus, commonly known as canaigre, canaigre dock, ganagra, wild rhubarb, Arizona dock, and tanner's dock,[2] is a perennial flowering plant which is native to the North American deserts in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is a common food plant of the ruddy copper larvae.[3]
It has been cultivated in the southwestern United States for the roots, a good source of tannin, which is used in leather tanning. It also yields a warm, medium brown dye.[4] The leaves and leaf stalks are considered edible when young, the older leaf stalks cooked and eaten like rhubarb, which is in the same plant family.[5]
Rumex hymenosepalus was first described by American botanist John Torrey in the Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary in 1859.[6]
