Flora of North America species comparison

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Oxalis articulata

Oxalidaceae

pink oxalis, pink sorrell, windowbox wood-sorrel

oxalis family, wood-sorrel family
Habit Herbs perennial, acaulous, rhizomes present, thick, woody, irregularly nodulate-segmented, often covered with persistent petiole bases, stolons absent, bulbs absent. Herbs [subshrubs, shrubs, vines or trees], annual or perennial.
Leaves

basal;

petiole 11–30 cm;

leaflets 3, green to purplish abaxially, green adaxially, rounded-obcordate, 18–20 mm, margins densely loosely ciliate, lobed 1/5–1/3 length, lobes apically convex, surfaces evenly strigose-villous to strigose-hirsute, oxalate deposits in dots concentrated mostly toward margins or over whole surface.

alternate or whorled, usually palmately or pinnately compound, sometimes 1-foliolate;

stipules usually present, rarely apparently absent;

petiole present;

blade margins entire;

venation pinnate or subpalmate.
Inflorescences

usually umbelliform cymes, less commonly in irregular cymes, 3–12-flowered;

scapes 12–28 cm, sparsely strigose.

terminal or axillary, cymes or racemes, or flowers solitary.
Flowers

heterostylous;

sepal apices with 2 orange tubercles;

petals usually purplish rose to red, rarely white, 10–14 mm.

bisexual, perianth and androecium hypogynous;

hypanthium absent;

sepals 5, distinct or slightly connate basally;

petals 5, distinct or slightly connate basally;

nectary present;

stamens 10 in 2 whorls, connate basally (monadelphous), free;

anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits;

pistil 1, 5-carpellate, ovary superior, 5-locular;

placentation axile;

ovules (1–)3–8(–10) per locule, anatropous;

styles 5, distinct;

stigmas 5.
Fruits

capsules [berries], dehiscence loculicidal, often elastically.
Capsules

ovoid, 4–8 mm, sparsely strigose.

Seeds

1–10 per locule.
2n

= 42.

Oxalis articulata

Oxalidaceae
Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul.
Habitat Disturbed places, especially near gardens, lawns, fields, roadsides.
Elevation 0–250 m. (0–800 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; OK; OR; SC; TX; VA; South America (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe, Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
North America; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Eurasia; Africa; Atlantic Islands; Indian Ocean Islands; Pacific Islands; Australia [Introduced in Bermuda]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Oxalis articulata in the United States commonly has been identified as O. rubra. Oxalis rubra was treated at subspecific rank by A. Lourteig (1982), but subsp. articulata and subsp. rubra have essentially the same native range and occur in similar habitats. Lourteig identified both subspecies in the United States, noting in her key that vestiture is reduced and the sepals are broader in subsp. rubra. Evidence is weak for recognizing more than a single entity. In the Flora of Panama (Lourteig 1980), she recognized only O. articulata, noting that it is naturalized in other parts of America and in the Old World.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Genera 5, species ca. 800 (1 genus, 36 species in the flora).

Oxalidaceae occurs mostly in the tropics and subtropics of both hemispheres but extends into temperate regions. Species of Averrhoa Linnaeus and Sarcotheca Blume are trees or shrubs, those of Dapania Korthals lianas; all have fleshy, baccate fruits. Species of Biophytum de Candolle and Oxalis are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs, or rarely vines with capsular fruits; Biophytum has even-pinnate leaves fascicled at the stem tips. Seeds of Oxalidaceae develop an elastic, translucent, arilliform epidermis that turns inside out, explosively ejecting them from the capsule (K. R. Robertson 1975).

Oxalis tuberosa Molina (oca or New Zealand yam), of Andean South America, is cultivated for its edible tubers. Averrhoa is widely cultivated in the tropics for its fruits, which are eaten fresh, used in drinks, or made into jelly and jam. Both species of Averrhoa [A. bilimbi Linnaeus (bilimbi or cucumber tree), A. carambola Linnaeus (starfruit or carambola)] are known only in cultivation or as escapes from cultivation.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 153. FNA vol. 12, p. 133. Author: Guy L. Nesom.
Parent taxa Oxalidaceae > Oxalis
Sibling taxa
O. albicans, O. bowiei, O. brasiliensis, O. caerulea, O. californica, O. colorea, O. corniculata, O. debilis, O. decaphylla, O. dichondrifolia, O. dillenii, O. drummondii, O. florida, O. frutescens, O. grandis, O. hirta, O. hispidula, O. illinoensis, O. incarnata, O. intermedia, O. latifolia, O. laxa, O. macrantha, O. metcalfei, O. montana, O. oregana, O. pes-caprae, O. pilosa, O. purpurea, O. stricta, O. suksdorfii, O. texana, O. triangularis, O. trilliifolia, O. violacea
Subordinate taxa
Synonyms O. articulata subsp. rubra, O. rubra
Name authority Savigny: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 4: 686. (1798) R. Brown
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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