Flora of North America species comparison

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Oxalis pes-caprae

Oxalis dichondrifolia

African wood-sorrel, Bermuda buttercup, soursob

agrito, peony-leaf wood-sorrel
Habit Herbs perennial, acaulous, rhizomes present vertical, white, rootlike, stolons absent, bulb usually solitary, sometimes with bulblets at base; bulb scales not observed. Herbs perennial, caulescent, caudex present, rhizomes and stolons absent, bulbs absent, taproot sometimes with tuberlike portions.
Aerial stems

mostly 1–3 from base, erect, 5–20(–30) cm, becoming woody proximally, finely hirtellous-villous.
Leaves

basal, rarely absent at flowering;

petiole 3–12 cm;

leaflets 3, green, rarely mottled with purplish red spots, angular-obcordate, (5–)7–20 mm, lobed 1/4–2/5 length, lobes apically convex, margins and abaxial surface villous, adaxial surface glabrous, oxalate deposits absent.

cauline;

stipules brownish, linear-setiform, margins without flanges, apical auricles absent;

petiole (0.5–)1–3 cm;

leaflet 1, dull gray-green, suborbiculate to oblong-obovate or ovate, 5–37 mm, not lobed, apex concave or truncate to retuse and apiculate, surfaces strigose-hirsute, oxalate deposits absent.
Inflorescences

umbelliform cymes, 2–12(–20)-flowered;

scapes often becoming fistulose proximally, 15–30 cm, sparsely villous to pilose.

1-flowered, axillary at distal nodes;

peduncles 15–25(–50) cm.
Flowers

tristylous in diploids and tetraploids, consistently short-styled in pentaploids;

sepal apices with 2 orange tubercles;

petals deep golden yellow, 15–20 mm.

heterostylous;

sepal apices without tubercles;

petals yellow to orange-yellow, 11–13 mm.
Capsules

not seen.

broadly cylindric, 5–8(–10) mm, densely pilose.
2n

= 14, 28, 35.

Oxalis pes-caprae

Oxalis dichondrifolia
Phenology Flowering Nov–Apr. Flowering Feb–Jun, sporadically year-round.
Habitat Disturbed areas, orchards, fields, grasslands, oak woodlands, coastal sage, dunes. Gravelly hills, clay dunes, limestone slopes, calcareous marl, sand, sandy loam, sandy silt, alluvial soils, brushlands, mesquite thickets, chaparral, roadsides, fields, ditch and river margins.
Elevation 10–500 m. (0–1600 ft.) 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; s Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in West Indies, Bermuda, South America, Europe, Asia (China, Iran, Turkey), n Africa, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Outside its native range, Oxalis pes-caprae is mostly represented by a sterile pentaploid morph, although tetraploids also are known. The occurrence of both pentaploid and tetraploid individuals in the exotic range may be the result of independent introductions (P. Michael 1964; R. Ornduff 1986). Fruit production has not been observed in North America, and the plants are assumed to be seed-sterile (Ornduff 1987). Bulbs of O. pes-caprae are rarely collected, as they detach easily from the vertical, rootlike stems. Each bulb may produce over 20, small, whitish bulblets each year. Bulblets may also be formed at the soil surface crown.

Oxalis pes-caprae was reported by J. K. Small (1933) to occur in waste places and cultivated grounds in northern Florida, but as noted by D. B. Ward (2004), no Florida specimens are known.

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

Oxalis dichondrifolia is fairly widespread in southern Texas.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 146. FNA vol. 12, p. 138.
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. laxa, O. macrantha, O. metcalfei, O. montana, O. oregana, 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. 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. cernua Monoxalis dichondrifolia
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 434. (1753) A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 27. (1852) — (as dichondraefolia)
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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