| Oxalis magellanica | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Oxalidales |
| Family: | Oxalidaceae |
| Genus: | Oxalis |
| Species: | O. magellanica |
| Binomial name | |
| Oxalis magellanica G. Forst. | |
| Synonyms | |
Acetosella magellanica (G. Forst.) Kuntze | |
Oxalis magellanica or snowdrop wood-sorrel is an Oxalis species found in Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, and Tasmania. [1] [2] It was first described in 1789. [3] It blooms from fall to spring with white flowers.
Its native distribution is puzzling given the wide geographic separation between its populations in Oceania and South America. [2] It, along with other members of a clade within the section Oxalis that share a common ancestor dating back to roughly 30 Ma, have a strangely complex geographic distribution. [2] This is especially perplexing given that the connection between Oceania and South America via Antarctica disappeared 35 million years ago, [4] before the estimated diversification of the clade.
