Flora of North America species comparison

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Oxalis laxa

Oxalis brasiliensis

dwarf wood-sorrel

Brazilian wood-sorrel
Habit Herbs annual, caulescent, sometimes densely cespitose, rhizomes and stolons absent, bulbs absent. Herbs perennial, acaulous, rhizomes and stolons absent, bulb solitary or clustered, 5–20 × 5–17 mm; outer bulb scales 5–8[–13]-nerved, margins ciliate, inner scales thick, orangish.
Aerial stems

1–5 from base, erect, 0.5–7 cm, usually herbaceous, sometimes becoming ± woody proximally, hirtellous to villous-hirtellous.

Leaves

cauline;

stipules rudimentary;

petiole 1.5–6 cm;

leaflets 3, green, obcordate, 5–12 mm, lobed 1/5 length, lobes apically convex, surfaces glabrous, oxalate deposits absent.

basal;

petiole often purplish proximally, 3–13[–20] cm, glabrous [sparsely and finely strigose];

leaflets 3, light green, obdeltate with rounded angles, [2–]10–21[–32] mm, lobed 1/10–1/20 length, lobes apically shallowly convex to nearly truncate, margins glabrous or sparsely irregularly ciliate, hairs loose, fine, abaxial surface sparsely but evenly strigose, adaxial surface glabrous, oxalate deposits absent.
Inflorescences

racemes, 6–14-flowered;

peduncles 3–15 cm.

umbelliform cymes, 1(–2)[–5]-flowered;

scapes 14–17[–30] cm, glabrous.
Flowers

heterostylous;

sepal apices without tubercles;

petals yellow, 6–12 mm.

apparently tristylous (mid-styled flowers observed);

sepals purplish, apices without tubercles, surfaces glabrous;

petals violet-purple, with dark purple veins proximally, 18–20 mm.
Capsules

ovoid to spheric, 3–5 mm, puberulent.

narrowly cylindric, 15–22 mm, indumentum not seen.

Oxalis laxa

Oxalis brasiliensis
Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Mar–Jul.
Habitat Disturbed sites, riparian woodlands, riverbanks, gravelly beaches, rock crevices, foothill woodlands. Disturbed roadsides.
Elevation 10–800 m. (0–2600 ft.) 30–50 m. (100–200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; South America (Chile) [Introduced in North America]
from FNA
AL; South America (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in e Asia (Japan), Australia]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Oxalis laxa is widespread in California in the eastern part of the Central Valley and along the central coast.

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

Oxalis brasiliensis is naturalized in Dallas County (H. E. Horne et al. 2013). The species is recognized by its leaves without oxalate deposits and sepals without tubercles; outer bulb scales with five to eight (to 13) nerves; one or two (or three) flowers per scape; and violet-purple, dark purple-veined corollas. The large, showy flowers make this species popular in the horticultural trade (see http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/SouthAmericanOxalis#brasiliensis for additional horticultural information on the species). Growth habit in the Dallas County population ranged from small clumps to dense mats along the roadside, extending to the margin of the woodland.

A low percentage of the Dallas County Oxalis brasiliensis population was reproducing by tiny propagules produced at the bract region of the scape. These propagules apparently are highly foreshortened stems, as they produce whorls of small leaves; they do not produce scales and thus are not the so-called aerial bulbils, as in the miniature bulbs described in some South African species (see http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/SouthAfricanOxalis).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 145. FNA vol. 12, p. 153.
Parent taxa Oxalidaceae > Oxalis Oxalidaceae > Oxalis
Sibling taxa
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. incarnata, O. intermedia, O. latifolia, 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. 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. sericea, O. micrantha, O. radicosa, O. simulans
Name authority Hooker & Arnott: Bot. Beechey Voy., 13. (1830) Loddiges et al. ex Hildebrand: Lebensverh. Oxalis., 43. (1884)
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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