Publication: Sp. Pl. 1: 335. 1753.

Origin: Native

Herbarium search: CPNWH

Notes: Treatment of R. maritimus is challenging. Jepson Manual 2nd edition and Flora of Oregon treat this taxon as R. fueginus.

The treatment of R. maritimus in FNA5 does not include Washington within the distribution of this species, which is not to say that this species does not occur here. The taxonomic treatment of R. maritimus and related species appears unresolved based on the FNA treatment:

"This Eurasian species is known as a casual alien from several localities in North America. Its distribution is poorly known due to confusion with native American species of this aggregate. Plants from Alaska and Yukon reported by E. Hultén (1968) as Rumex maritimus need additional study; they may be conspecific with some eastern Asian races of the R. maritimus aggregate. It is rare or almost absent in eastern Asia, where it is replaced by closely related taxa.

Species of the Rumex maritimus aggregate can be placed in a separate subsection Maritimi Rechinger f. (K. H. Rechinger 1937) or even section Orientales A. I. Baranov & B. V. Skvortzov (see A. E. Borodina 1977).

In addition to characters mentioned in the key and descriptions, additional distinctive features of Rumex maritimus are the smooth tubercles (occasionally finely striate or indistinctly pitted in herbarium specimens), and golden yellow or greenish yellow mature inflorescences."

Infraspecies:

Last updated 4/17/2020 by David Giblin.