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pink oxalis, pink sorrell, windowbox wood-sorrel

radish-root wood-sorrel, western yellow wood-sorrel

Habit Herbs perennial, acaulous, rhizomes present, thick, woody, irregularly nodulate-segmented, often covered with persistent petiole bases, stolons absent, bulbs absent. Herbs perennial, caulescent, rhizomes and stolons absent, bulbs absent.
Aerial stems

usually 2–8 from base, usually decumbent to prostrate, less commonly ascending, sporadically rooting at nodes, 10–40 cm, becoming woody proximally, puberulent to hirtellous-puberulent, hairs usually antrorsely curved or crisped, sometimes ± straight, nonseptate, longer hairs 0.2–0.3(–0.8) mm.

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.

basal and cauline;

stipules rudimentary or oblong, margins narrowly flanged, apical auricles absent;

petiole (1–)3–7(–10) cm, hairs nonseptate;

leaflets 3, glaucous and gray-green to yellowish green, obcordate, 5–10(–15) mm, lobed 1/5–1/3 length, surfaces glabrous to loosely strigose, oxalate deposits absent.

Inflorescences

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

scapes 12–28 cm, sparsely strigose.

umbelliform cymes, 1–2(–3)-flowered;

peduncles 1.5–5 cm.

Flowers

heterostylous;

sepal apices with 2 orange tubercles;

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

semihomostylous, within level of leaves;

sepal apices without tubercles, surfaces strigose to hirsute-strigose;

petals yellow, rarely with red lines proximally, 6–10(–12) mm.

Capsules

ovoid, 4–8 mm, sparsely strigose.

angular-cylindric, abruptly tapering to apex, 14–20 mm, strigose-hirsute.

Seeds

brown to blackish brown, transverse ridges rarely with whitish lines or spots.

2n

= 42.

Oxalis articulata

Oxalis albicans

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul. Flowering Apr–Aug(–Oct).
Habitat Disturbed places, especially near gardens, lawns, fields, roadsides. Desert scrub, grasslands, mesquite-acacia, pinyon-juniper, oak-pine-juniper, oak-buckthorn, riparian woodlands (sycamore-hackberry-walnut-ash-willow), stream banks, meadows, washes, hillsides, ravines, canyons, disturbed sites.
Elevation 0–250 m. (0–800 ft.) (600–)700–1900(–2100) m. ((2000–)2300–6200(–6900) 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]
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico; Central America (Guatemala)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 153. FNA vol. 12, p. 142.
Parent taxa Oxalidaceae > Oxalis 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
O. articulata, 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
Synonyms O. articulata subsp. rubra, O. rubra O. californica var. subglabra, O. corniculata subsp. albicans, O. corniculata var. wrightii, O. pilosa var. wrightii, O. wrightii, Xanthoxalis albicans, X. wrightii
Name authority Savigny: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 4: 686. (1798) Kunth: in A. von Humboldt et al., Nov. Gen. Sp. 5(fol.): 189; 5(qto.): 244. (1822)
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