Flora of North America species comparison

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Oxalis articulata

Oxalis incarnata

pink oxalis, pink sorrell, windowbox wood-sorrel

crimson wood-sorrel, pale pink-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 present, 3–8 cm, slender, sometimes producing small tubers, stolons absent, bulblets often present on rhizomes and in leaf axils.
Aerial stems

mostly 1–4 from base, mostly erect, 5–25 cm, herbaceous, glabrous.
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.

cauline, usually in pseudowhorls of 4–8, sometimes opposite proximally;

stipules rudimentary;

petiole 2–5(–7) cm;

leaflets 3, green, sometimes purplish abaxially, obcordate, 6–10(–15) mm, lobed 1/4 length, lobes apically convex, surfaces glabrous, oxalate deposits absent.
Inflorescences

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

scapes 12–28 cm, sparsely strigose.

1-flowered;

peduncles 5–7 cm.
Flowers

heterostylous;

sepal apices with 2 orange tubercles;

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

stamen/style arrangement not seen;

sepal apices with 2 orange tubercles;

petals white to pale pinkish purple with darker veins, 10–20 mm.
Capsules

ovoid, 4–8 mm, sparsely strigose.

not seen.
2n

= 42.

Oxalis articulata

Oxalis incarnata
Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul. Flowering Jan–May.
Habitat Disturbed places, especially near gardens, lawns, fields, roadsides. Shady, disturbed, generally urban sites, greenhouses, roadsides, yards.
Elevation 0–250 m. (0–800 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 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
CA; Africa (South Africa) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe, Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia]
[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.)

Oxalis incarnata is recognized by its rhizomatous habit, small leaves in pseudowhorls, and large, solitary, flowers with white to pink or purple petals. Plants apparently are seed-sterile in California.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 153. FNA vol. 12, p. 146.
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. albicans, 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. 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
Name authority Savigny: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 4: 686. (1798) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 433. (1753)
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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