Dock Sorrel Mix: Species, Season & Pollen Data

Dock sorrel mix — listed on some allergy test panels in the reversed form, sorrel dock mix — is the combined pollen group for the dock and sorrel species of the genus Rumex. Pollen Atlas reports dock sorrel inside the weed pollen data behind its city counts: when a city's weed index rises on dock and sorrel pollen, this is the plant group responsible.

The species in the mix

The mix is a grouping, not a single plant. Its main members are sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella), a small, wiry weed of poor and acidic soils; curly dock (Rumex crispus), the tall dock of field edges and waste ground; and broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius), common in pastures and gardens. The species are grouped because their pollen grains are difficult to separate under the microscope and because they cross-react for many allergic patients, so test panels and pollen counters report them together.

When dock sorrel pollinates

Dock sorrel pollen runs from late spring through summer. Sheep sorrel starts first, in late spring, and the larger docks carry the season into mid and late summer — which is why the group so often fills the gap between the spring tree season and the late-summer ragweed season. The full calendar, and how the group behaves across that gap, is covered in the dock sorrel pollen season guide.

How dock sorrel appears in pollen counts

In Pollen Atlas data, dock sorrel contributes to a city's Weed Pollen Index rather than appearing as a standalone number, and it can be the day's dominant weed allergen in cities where the docks are common. What the mix means when it shows up on an allergy test panel — and how it is read alongside the other weed pollens — is explained in dock sorrel mix on your allergy panel. For today's readings, see the city rankings and the pollen heatmap.

Dock sorrel in the weed family

Docks and sorrels sit in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae — the same family as Japanese knotweed — and are wind-pollinated despite their small, reddish flowers. Their pollen season overlaps the grass season, so a summer flare that does not match the grass numbers is often dock sorrel's contribution to the weed index. Check today's count for your city at PollenAtlas.com.