''Rumex nivalis'', commonly called snow dock, is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family. It is endemic to Europe, where it grows mainly in snowbeds. It is

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

, with separate male and female plants. The plant was first discovered by

Alexander Moritzi Alexander Moritzi (1806-1850) was a Swiss naturalist and early proponent of evolution. Moritzi born in Chur, Graubünden. His ''Réflexions sur l'espèce en histoire naturelle'', which means "Reflections on Species in Natural History," was publ ...

in 1836 in the

Swiss Alps The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss ...

. It is most plentiful at 7000 feet above sea level.

References

nivalis Flora of the Alps Flora of Europe Dioecious plants {{Polygonaceae-stub