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Fiddle dock (Rumex pulcher)

Fiddle Dock is a widespread introduced weed in southern Australia and can seriously reduce pasture productivity, particularly in south-western Western Australia. It also invades lawns, gardens and recreational areas, and is best managed with an integrated approach.

Key facts

Type: Weed, herb.

Native to: Mediterranean region and South-west Asia.

Established in: NSW, VIC, TAS, SA, WA.

Other names: Red Dock, Fiddleleaf Dock (USA).

Best time to act: Look for new growth from the underground rootstock in autumn or winter and rusty-brown fruiting heads by summer, with a major seed-germination flush in autumn.

Identification

  • A perennial, tap-rooted herb, usually 20–60 cm high, with stiff branches spreading widely.
  • Basal and lower stem leaves are fiddle-shaped, with a pointed tip and rounded, lobed base; they grow to 12 cm long and 2–5 cm wide.
  • Dense flower clusters are spaced along the branches, usually with leafy bracts, and the flowers sit on thickened stalks.
  • Fruiting heads become rusty-brown; each three-sided fruit is surrounded by three persistent valves with short teeth, usually 2–5 on each side.
  • Look-alike: Compared with native Rumex species that have toothed valves, Fiddle Dock has broader, fiddle-shaped basal leaves and widely spreading, relatively straight branches.
  • Look-alike: Compared with Broadleaf Dock (Rumex obtusifolius), Fiddle Dock has more widely spaced flower clusters, usually with an obvious leafy bract, and thickened flower stalks about as long as the valves; Broadleaf Dock has slender stalks about twice as long as the valves.

Where it grows

In temperate Australia it occurs in pastures, roadsides, wasteland, lawns, gardens and riverbanks, and sometimes in eucalypt woodland, with its most serious infestations in south-western Western Australia.

Why it matters

  • It can become a serious competitive weed in pastures and reduce agricultural productivity.
  • In some south-western Western Australian districts, it has been the dominant weed species on 80% of properties.
  • It also invades lawns, gardens and recreational areas.
  • It contains oxalates and is suspected of poisoning stock, although levels are generally unlikely to be high enough to kill them.

How it spreads

  • Fiddle Dock disperses by seed, and its toothed fruit valves aid movement by wind, water, animals and people.
  • Mature fruits can break off their jointed stalks from mid-summer to winter when branches brush against people, animals or equipment.
  • The crown and upper taproot can regenerate from fragments dragged by cultivation equipment.

Control options

  • Deep hoeing or grubbing can control single plants.
  • For larger infestations, a combination of cultivation and registered herbicides is effective; contact a state or territory weed management agency or local council for current herbicide advice.
  • In pastures, the spray/graze technique can reduce infestations; slashing and mowing are not effective.
  • The Clearwing Moth (Pyropteron doryliformis) is an established biological control agent that provides almost total control in Western Australia and good control in about 50% of infested areas in Victoria and New South Wales.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Fruits can detach when branches brush against equipment or people, so avoid carrying plant material on machinery or gear.
  • Cultivation equipment can drag crown and upper taproot fragments that may regenerate.
  • Inspect and clean vehicles, plant and footwear before leaving an infested area, paying attention to tyres, radiators, belly plates, tracks and floor mats.
  • Wash down at a designated bay where runoff is contained and can be monitored for seedlings.
  • Record each washdown so the client has evidence of clean entry and exit.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Not a priority weed. Not a state or regional priority weed in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Not declared. Not declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. Other laws may still apply.
  • Western Australia: Permitted, not declared. Listed as a permitted organism in WA, so it can be brought in, but it is not a declared pest.
  • Tasmania: Not declared. Not a declared weed in Tasmania. Other laws may still apply.
  • Northern Territory: Check NT list. There is no NT weed profile for it. Check the NT declared weeds list for its current status.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources