This is a tall dock which is found in northern England and Scotland. There is none in Wales or Ireland and a solitary outpost in southern England. The eastern part of Scotland around Aberdeen is a particular stronghold and this is where the specimen above was photographed. It might be possible to confuse it with Rumex obtusifolius (Broad-leaved Dock) but as you drive up the M74 you can notice that the dock flowerheads become more tightly packed with flowers & fruits as R. longifolius starts to appear on the verges. There are no warts on the fruits and the leaves are slightly curled at the edges like R. crispus (Curled dock).

Back of Cove Rangers FC ground, Cove near Aberdeen, 20th August 2005

Added on 18th August 2005, updated 23rd January 2012