Flora of North America species comparison

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Oxalis laxa

Oxalis hispidula

dwarf 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; mostly 8–15 mm diam.; outer bulb scales 3[–5]-nerved, inner scales thick, reddish brown, rugose.
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 1.5–15 cm, sparsely villous or glabrous;

leaflets 3, green, rounded-obcordate, 4–18 mm, lobed 1/6–1/5 length, lobes apically convex to nearly truncate, margins prominently ciliate, hairs stiff, sharp-pointed, abaxial surface strigose to hirsute-strigose, densely hirsute at very base, adaxial surface glabrous, oxalate deposits absent.
Inflorescences

racemes, 6–14-flowered;

peduncles 3–15 cm.

umbelliform cymes, 1(–2)[–4]-flowered;

scapes 3–27 cm, glabrous or sparsely hirsute-villous proximally.
Flowers

heterostylous;

sepal apices without tubercles;

petals yellow, 6–12 mm.

apparently tristylous (mid-styled flowers observed);

sepals yellowish green, apices with 2 orange, elongate tubercles;

petals yellow basally, otherwise deep rose to purple or violet, with dark purple veins proximally, 11–20 mm.
Capsules

ovoid to spheric, 3–5 mm, puberulent.

fusiform, mature size not observed, indumentum not seen.

Oxalis laxa

Oxalis hispidula
Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Oct–Nov.
Habitat Disturbed sites, riparian woodlands, riverbanks, gravelly beaches, rock crevices, foothill woodlands. Wet ditches, disturbed roadsides.
Elevation 10–800 m. (0–2600 ft.) 10–90 m. (0–300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; South America (Chile) [Introduced in North America]
from FNA
AL; South America (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay) [Introduced in North America]
[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 hispidula is naturalized in Baldwin County (H. E. Horne et al. 2013). The species is recognized by its leaves without oxalate deposits, outer bulb scales with mostly three nerves, flowers one (or two) per scape, and corollas violet-purple with dark veins. It was noted by S. Rosenfeldt and B. G. Galati (2009) to be tristylous.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 145. FNA vol. 12, p. 152.
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. decaphylla, O. dichondrifolia, O. dillenii, O. drummondii, O. florida, O. frutescens, O. grandis, O. hirta, 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) Zuccarini: Denkschr. Königl. Akad. Wiss. München 9: 143. (1825)
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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