Aatunaq
Rumex occidentalis S. Watson = Rumex fenestratus E. Greene
Rumex arcticus Trautv.
Plant
Sour dock is a large herb with thick rhubarb-like stems and long leaves. It has a distinctive sour taste similar to its relative, cultivated rhubarb. Widespread in the Kodiak Archipelago, sour dock grows in moist and wet habitats.
Gathering: People gather quantities of sour dock leaves and stems for food in May and June before the plant flowers and becomes tough.
Food: People eat sour dock leaves and stems raw or boil them until tender. They enjoy the cooked plant plain or mixed with sugar, lily bulbs, berries, and/or oil. Sour dock is also made into jam and pies.
Medicine: People place fresh, raw sour dock leaves on the head to relieve a headache, and apply them to the body to treat rheumatism or draw out a fever. A tea made from the plant’s roots has a laxative effect.
