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creeping oxalis, creeping wood-sorrel, creeping yellow wood-sorrel, yellow oxalis, yellow wood sorrel

bowie's wood-sorrel, red-flower wood-sorrel

Habit Herbs annual, caulescent, rhizomes and stolons absent, bulbs absent. Herbs perennial, acaulous, rhizomes present vertical, slender or thickened, sparsely scaly, stolons absent, bulbs solitary, ovate, 2–4 cm; bulb scales 5-nerved.
Aerial stems

commonly 2–8 from base, prostrate or decumbent, stolonlike, rooting at nodes, 4–10(–30) cm, herbaceous, sparsely and loosely strigose to strigose-villous or villous, hairs nonseptate.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

stipules oblong, membranous, margins with wide, free flanges, apical auricles free;

petiole 1–5 cm;

leaflets 3, green or bronze-purple to maroon, obcordate, (4–)6–12 mm, lobed 1/5–1/3 length, margins often prominently villous-ciliate, surfaces glabrous, oxalate deposits absent.

basal, rarely absent at flowering;

petiole (4–)6–16 cm, densely glandular-puberulent;

leaflets 3, green to purplish abaxially, green adaxially, obcordate, (12–)30–60 mm, lobed 1/6–1/3 length, lobes apically convex, often fleshy, surfaces densely glandular-puberulent, oxalate deposits absent.

Inflorescences

irregular or umbelliform cymes, 1–3(–6)-flowered;

peduncles (1–)2–4(–8) cm.

umbelliform cymes, 4–12-flowered;

scapes 15–20 cm, densely glandular-puberulent.

Flowers

mostly homostylous;

sepal apices without tubercles;

petals yellow, 4–8 mm.

heterostylous;

sepal apices without tubercles;

petals greenish yellow basally, pink to deep rose pink or red distally, 15–20 mm.

Capsules

angular-cylindric, gradually or abruptly tapering to apex, 8–17(–20) mm, sparsely puberulent to glabrate or glabrous.

not seen.

Seeds

brown, transverse ridges brown.

2n

= 24, 36, 42, 44, 48.

Oxalis corniculata

Oxalis bowiei

Phenology Flowering Mar–Aug(–Oct), sporadically year-round. Flowering Oct–Dec, Apr–Jun.
Habitat Disturbed areas, gardens, greenhouses, lawns, fields, roadsides, hammocks, beach margins, open pine woods, grasslands. Disturbed areas.
Elevation 10–500(–2500) m. (0–1600(–8200) ft.) 300 m. (1000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; ID; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; MT; NC; NE; NJ; OH; OK; OR; PA; SC; SD; TX; VA; VT; WA; WV; BC; MB; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe, Asia (China, India, Japan), Africa, Pacific Islands, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Africa (South Africa) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe, Asia (China), Australia]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Oxalis corniculata in the flora area is recognized by a combination of its small flowers (petals yellow, 4–8 mm); sparsely hairy, herbaceous stems creeping and rooting at nodes; and stipules with free flanges and apical auricles. Peduncles and leaves (one to three) are produced at the nodes, short erect stems less commonly so. Specimens have been seen documenting its distribution in the United States as listed above; it may also occur in intervening areas.

The typical form of Oxalis corniculata is strictly annual with consistently herbaceous, prostrate stems. At least some populations in western Oregon are distinctly more erect, with decumbent-ascending stems, than those of the eastern United States. In contrast, stems of O. dillenii characteristically are initially erect but may become decumbent to prostrate, occasionally rooting at the nodes; they almost always become more or less woody. Stems arising from nodes of laterally oriented stems characteristically are erect. In most of the United States, O. corniculata usually occurs in urban and highly disturbed habitats, but along the Gulf Coast it occasionally grows in less obviously disturbed sites and might be native there. However, assignment of nativity awaits a clearer understanding of patterns of variation within what is recognized as a highly variable species.

Variants of Oxalis corniculata and closely similar forms occur in Mexico, the West Indies, Central America, and South America, as well as in other parts of the world, including the flora area. Plants with bronze-purple to maroon leaves and hairy capsules have been recognized as var. atropurpurea (for example, in Florida, D. B. Ward 2004; in California, L. Abrams and R. S. Ferris 1923–1960, vol. 3). Variety atropurpurea in Malaysia has features of a distinct species, differing from typical O. corniculata in karyotype as well as in floral and vegetative morphology and is isolated by post-pollination reproductive barriers (B. R. Nair and P. Kuriachan 2004). Australasian variants sometimes identified as O. corniculata recently have been treated at specific rank (for example, P. J. de Lange et al. 2005). In view of the significant variation in ploidy level reported for the species, formal recognition of these and probably still other segregates may be justified.

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

Oxalis bowiei is a naturalized garden escape in Oroville (Butte County; V. H. Oswald and L. Ahart 1994). Oxalis bowiei Aiton ex G. Don, from the Cape of Good Hope, was described as hoary-pubescent with peduncles about equal in length to the leaves and with red flowers. It perhaps is not the same species as O. bowiei Herbert (1833), provenance unspecified, but the color illustration clearly shows the commonly cultivated plant of contemporary commerce. Apparently neither name has been typified.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 139. FNA vol. 12, p. 148.
Parent taxa Oxalidaceae > Oxalis Oxalidaceae > Oxalis
Sibling taxa
O. albicans, O. articulata, O. bowiei, O. brasiliensis, O. caerulea, O. californica, O. colorea, 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. 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. corniculata var. atropurpurea, O. corniculata var. domingensis, O. corniculata var. langloisii, O. corniculata var. lupulina, O. corniculata var. macrophylla, O. corniculata var. repens, O. corniculata var. villosa, O. corniculata var. viscidula, O. langloisii, O. repens, Xanthoxalis corniculata, X. langloisii O. purpurata var. bowiei
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 435. (1753) Aiten ex G. Don: Gen. Hist. 1: 761. (1831) — (as bowii)
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