Oxalis pes-caprae
Oxalis hispidula
African wood-sorrel, Bermuda buttercup, soursob
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.
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.
umbelliform cymes, 2–12(–20)-flowered;
scapes often becoming fistulose proximally, 15–30 cm, sparsely villous to pilose.
umbelliform cymes, 1(–2)[–4]-flowered;
scapes 3–27 cm, glabrous or sparsely hirsute-villous proximally.
tristylous in diploids and tetraploids, consistently short-styled in pentaploids;
sepal apices with 2 orange tubercles;
petals deep golden yellow, 15–20 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.
not seen.
fusiform, mature size not observed, indumentum not seen.
= 14, 28, 35.
Oxalis pes-caprae
Oxalis hispidula
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 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.)
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
