Oxalis articulata |
Oxalis intermedia |
|
---|---|---|
pink oxalis, pink sorrell, windowbox wood-sorrel |
West Indian 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, acaulous, rhizomes absent, stolons often present, numerous, slender, with bulblets at tips, bulbs usually clustered, sometimes solitary; bulb scales (3–)5–7-nerved. |
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, rarely absent at flowering; petiole 10–22 cm; leaflets 3, green, obtriangular to broadly obtriangular, 20–50 mm, lobed 1/5–1/3 length, lobes apically truncate, surfaces glabrous, oxalate deposits absent. |
Inflorescences | usually umbelliform cymes, less commonly in irregular cymes, 3–12-flowered; scapes 12–28 cm, sparsely strigose. |
umbelliform cymes, 3–12(–18)-flowered; scapes 7–30 cm, glabrous or sparsely hairy. |
Flowers | heterostylous; sepal apices with 2 orange tubercles; petals usually purplish rose to red, rarely white, 10–14 mm. |
semihomostylous; sepal apices with 2 orange tubercles; petals usually lavender to purple, less commonly pink or white, 8–12 mm. |
Capsules | ovoid, 4–8 mm, sparsely strigose. |
ellipsoid, 3–8 mm, glabrous. |
2n | = 42. |
|
Oxalis articulata |
Oxalis intermedia |
|
Phenology | Flowering Mar–Jul. | Flowering Apr–Sep. |
Habitat | Disturbed places, especially near gardens, lawns, fields, roadsides. | Gardens, fields, orchards, roadsides, moist waste areas, fencerows. |
Elevation | 0–250 m. (0–800 ft.) | 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.) |
Distribution |
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]
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FL; LA; TX; West Indies [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico (Chiapas, San Luis Potosí, Veracruz)] |
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 intermedia is recognized by a combination of its large, obtriangular leaflets; numerous, small flowers; and usually clustered bulbs. It was collected in California in 1934 and Massachusetts in 1940 but does not appear to have become naturalized in either state. Plants in the flora area are usually without fertile fruit. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 153. | FNA vol. 12, p. 151. |
Parent taxa | Oxalidaceae > Oxalis | Oxalidaceae > Oxalis |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | O. articulata subsp. rubra, O. rubra | Ionoxalis intermedia |
Name authority | Savigny: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 4: 686. (1798) | A. Richard: Hist. Phys. Cuba, Pl. Vasc., 315. (1841) |
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