Curly Dock

Curly Dock

Rumex crispus

Curly Dock is a very common plant in my neck of the woods, northeast Indiana.  It's not native, in fact it is considered "noxious" per the Biota of North America website.  This website gets its info from somewhere else, although I'm not sure.

You see, Indiana, along with most other states I'm sure, has a law regarding noxious weeds.  The law is fairly complicated in that it regulates seed sales as well as control of noxious weeds on personal property.  There are several different listings of noxious weeds depending on which part of the law it pertains to.  Curly Dock only made it on one list that restricts the percentage of seeds allowed to be found by inspectors in any batch of seeds that are for sale.

Indiana also has another law regarding the destruction of noxious plants on personal property.  Did you realize that you could be in contempt of the law if you allow certain plants to even grow on your property?  For instance, if you allow Canada Thistle to grow and flourish on your land, you could be fined $500 a day until you get rid of it!  Just about anybody with land in a rural area of Indiana could be found guilty of that law!!  To add to the injustice, the township trustee that has allowed this to happen can also be found guilty and also fined $500 per day.

I have never heard of anyone in my county of being fined by, or even being informed about, the law regarding the "Destruction of Detrimental Plants".  Indiana has a lot of laws that sound good to the person writing them, and the legislator passing them, but not to the people enforcing them or the people affected by them.



This plant is easy to spot in the fall and winter!

Curly leaf, hence the name

The flowers are small and don't amount to much