FNA: Oxalis laxa vs. Oxalis decaphylla

	Oxalis laxa	Oxalis decaphylla
	dwarf wood-sorrel	ten-leaf wood-sorrel
Habit	Herbs annual, caulescent, sometimes densely cespitose, rhizomes and stolons absent, bulbs absent.	Herbs perennial, acaulous, rhizomes and stolons absent, bulbs solitary or clustered; bulb scales 9–15+-nerved.
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, rarely absent at flowering; petiole 7–32(–46) cm; leaflets (3–)5–11, green to purplish abaxially, green adaxially, sometimes with purplish transverse medial band, narrowly oblong-oblanceolate to narrowly oblong or linear, (10–)12–38(–72) mm, lobed (1/6–)1/2–2/3(–9/10) length, lobes apically subacute, surfaces glabrous, oxalate deposits absent.
Inflorescences	racemes, 6–14-flowered; peduncles 3–15 cm.	umbelliform cymes, (2–)6–11(–15)-flowered; scapes 7–35 cm, glabrous.
Flowers	heterostylous; sepal apices without tubercles; petals yellow, 6–12 mm.	distylous; sepal apices with 2 orange, linear, thick tubercles; petals green proximally, rose purple or lavender to pink, rarely white, distally, with green veins, (7–)9–17(–22) mm.
Capsules	ovoid to spheric, 3–5 mm, puberulent.	ellipsoid, 3–11 mm, glabrous.
2n		= 28, 56.

	Oxalis laxa	Oxalis decaphylla
Phenology	Flowering Apr–Jun.	Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat	Disturbed sites, riparian woodlands, riverbanks, gravelly beaches, rock crevices, foothill woodlands.	Sycamore-walnut, oak, pine-oak, ponderosa pine, pine-spruce-aspen, or spruce-fir woodlands, canyons, meadows, seeps, streamsides.
Elevation	10–800 m. (0–2600 ft.)	(1700–)2200–3000(–3200) m. ((5600–)7200–9800(–10500) ft.)
Distribution	CA; South America (Chile) [Introduced in North America]	AZ; NM; n Mexico; c Mexico [WildflowerSearch map] [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.)
Source	FNA vol. 12, p. 145.	FNA vol. 12, p. 149.
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. brasiliensis, O. caerulea, O. californica, O. colorea, O. corniculata, O. debilis, 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	O. grayi
Name authority	Hooker & Arnott: Bot. Beechey Voy., 13. (1830)	Kunth: in A. von Humboldt et al., Nov. Gen. Sp. 5(fol. & qto.): plate 468. (1822)
Web links	Local floras: CA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Oxalis decaphylla

dwarf wood-sorrel

ten-leaf wood-sorrel

Habit

Herbs annual, caulescent, sometimes densely cespitose, rhizomes and stolons absent, bulbs absent.

Herbs perennial, acaulous, rhizomes and stolons absent, bulbs solitary or clustered; bulb scales 9–15+-nerved.

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, rarely absent at flowering;

petiole 7–32(–46) cm;

leaflets (3–)5–11, green to purplish abaxially, green adaxially, sometimes with purplish transverse medial band, narrowly oblong-oblanceolate to narrowly oblong or linear, (10–)12–38(–72) mm, lobed (1/6–)1/2–2/3(–9/10) length, lobes apically subacute, surfaces glabrous, oxalate deposits absent.

Inflorescences

racemes, 6–14-flowered;

peduncles 3–15 cm.

umbelliform cymes, (2–)6–11(–15)-flowered;

scapes 7–35 cm, glabrous.

Flowers

heterostylous;

sepal apices without tubercles;

petals yellow, 6–12 mm.

distylous;

sepal apices with 2 orange, linear, thick tubercles;

petals green proximally, rose purple or lavender to pink, rarely white, distally, with green veins, (7–)9–17(–22) mm.

Capsules

ovoid to spheric, 3–5 mm, puberulent.

ellipsoid, 3–11 mm, glabrous.

= 28, 56.

Oxalis laxa

Oxalis decaphylla

Phenology

Flowering Apr–Jun.

Flowering Jun–Aug.

Habitat

Disturbed sites, riparian woodlands, riverbanks, gravelly beaches, rock crevices, foothill woodlands.

Sycamore-walnut, oak, pine-oak, ponderosa pine, pine-spruce-aspen, or spruce-fir woodlands, canyons, meadows, seeps, streamsides.

Elevation

10–800 m. (0–2600 ft.)

(1700–)2200–3000(–3200) m. ((5600–)7200–9800(–10500) ft.)

Distribution

CA; South America (Chile) [Introduced in North America]

AZ; NM; n Mexico; c Mexico

[WildflowerSearch map]

[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.)

Source

FNA vol. 12, p. 145.

FNA vol. 12, p. 149.

Parent taxa

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. brasiliensis, O. caerulea, O. californica, O. colorea, O. corniculata, O. debilis, 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

O. grayi

Name authority

Hooker & Arnott: Bot. Beechey Voy., 13. (1830)

Kunth: in A. von Humboldt et al., Nov. Gen. Sp. 5(fol. & qto.): plate 468. (1822)

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).

Choose a data source: Flora of North America

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Flora of North America species comparison

Oxalis laxa

Oxalis decaphylla

Oxalis laxa

Oxalis decaphylla