Oxalis

Scientific name

Oxalis L.

Common names

sorrel

Family

Oxalidaceae

Similar genera

Marsilea, Regnellidium

Native distribution

South Africa

Species cultivated

Oxalis simplex Salter

O. uliginosa Schltr.

Adventive distribution

information not available

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

amphibious, seasonally submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
or temporarily floating herbs

Brief description

Small amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
herb. Stem creeping or floating, slender, typically branched at the base, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
; bulb ovoidovoid:
(adj) egg-shaped in three dimensions
. In aquatic species leaves in a floating rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
; petioles bear stipules; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
typically trifoliate, sometimes unifoliate, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
; leaflets sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
or shortly petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
, obcordate. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
typically a solitary flower or cluster of flowers in leaf axils; bracteolatebracteolate:
(adj) possessing small bracts
. Flower actinomorphicactinomorphic:
(adj) of flowers, having radial symmetry; capable of being bisected into identifical halves along more than one axis
, pedicellatepedicellate:
(adj) borne on a pedicel
; sepals 5, oblongoblong:
(adj) two to four times longer than wide, with +/- parallel sides
, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
, green; petals 5, campanulatecampanulate:
(adj) bell-shaped
, white, yellow, or rarely pale rose; stamens 10, filaments united below, base toothed, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
; ovaryovary:
(n) a hollow organ at the base of the carpel of a flower in which ovules are produced
5-locular, may be hairy above; styles 5, free.

Natural habitat

wet marshy places, along streams, and in temporary and seasonal pools

Additional comments

A large genus of over 500 species, of which six species are strongly amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
to aquatic, including Oxalis dines Ornduff, O. disticha Jacq., O. dregei Sond., O. natans Thunb., O. simplex, and O. uliginosa.