Oxalis montana

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Oxalis montana
Oxalis montana.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Oxalidales
Family: Oxalidaceae
Genus: Oxalis
Species:
O. montana
Binomial name
Oxalis montana

Oxalis montana is a species of flowering plant in the family Oxalidaceae known by the common names mountain woodsorrel, wood shamrock, sours and white woodsorrel. It may also be called common woodsorrel, though this name also applies to its close relative, Oxalis acetosella .

Contents

This species is a perennial herb native to eastern North America, including eastern Canada and the north-central and eastern United States, and Appalachian Mountains. [1] The Latin specific epithet montana refers to mountains or coming from mountains. [2]

Description

Mountain Wood Sorrel flower in Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia Mountain wood sorrel.png
Mountain Wood Sorrel flower in Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia

Oxalis montana is a perennial herb which grows in patches connected by subterranean rhizomes. There are no stems, just clumps of leaves growing to about 10 centimetres (3.9 inches) in maximum height.

Patch of Oxalis montana in Fundy National Park Oxalis montana in Fundy National Park.jpg
Patch of Oxalis montana in Fundy National Park

The leaves are each made up of three heart-shaped leaflets. [1] The leaflets move, folding and unfolding, in response to sunlight. [3]

There are two types of flowers, blooms that open and cleistogamous flowers that remain closed and self-pollinate. [4] The flower color is variable. Environmental factors may cause variation; flowers growing at higher elevations have less color in the veins on the petals, while the veins of those at lower elevations have a deeper pink-purple coloration. [5] The fruit is a capsule. The plant reproduces sexually by seed and asexually by sprouting large colonies from the rhizome. [1] Some populations produce no flowers in a given season and reproduce only vegetatively. [4]

Ecology

This plant is a climax species, occurring in mature forests and tolerant of shade. It is a dominant herb in a number of ecosystems, such as the forests of the Appalachian Mountains. It occurs there in the understory of red spruce (Picea rubens) and balsam or Fraser fir (Abies balsamea or A. fraseri).

It is also dominant in northern hardwood forest habitat and its ecotones, in the understory of red or sugar maple (Acer rubrum or A. saccharum), yellow birch (Betula lutea), and American beech (Fagus grandifolia). Other dominant understory species growing with it include false lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense), goldthread (Coptis groenlandica), starflower (Trientalis borealis), and woodferns (Dryopteris spp.). [1]

This plant's extensive root network helps it stabilize the soil. It can grow on flat ground or steep slopes. The climate is often cool and moist, with high humidity and precipitation, including fog drip, and areas of long-lasting snowpack. Wildfire is uncommon. [1]

Uses

The species is sour in flavor, and can be added to soup or salad. It contains oxalic acid, which can be poisonous in high quantities. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Oxalis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Oxalis is a large genus of flowering plants in the wood-sorrel family Oxalidaceae, comprising over 550 species. The genus occurs throughout most of the world, except for the polar areas; species diversity is particularly rich in tropical Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa.

<i>Oxalis corniculata</i> Species of yellow wood sorrel

Oxalis corniculata, the creeping woodsorrel, procumbent yellow sorrel or sleeping beauty, is a somewhat delicate-appearing, low-growing herbaceous plant in the family Oxalidaceae.

Sourgrass is a common name given to several plant species which have a sour taste. Most are in fact not grasses:

<i>Oxalis pes-caprae</i> Species of flowering plant in the wood sorrel family

Oxalis pes-caprae is a species of tristylous yellow-flowering plant in the wood sorrel family Oxalidaceae. Oxalis cernua is a less common synonym for this species. Some of the most common names for the plant reference its sour taste owing to oxalic acid present in its tissues. Indigenous to South Africa, the plant has become a pest plant in different parts of the world that is difficult to eradicate because of how it propagates through underground bulbs.

<i>Oxalis violacea</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis violacea, the violet wood-sorrel, is a perennial plant and herb in the family Oxalidaceae. It is native to the eastern and central United States.

<i>Oxalis triangularis</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis triangularis, commonly called false shamrock, is a species of perennial plant in the family Oxalidaceae. It is native to several countries in southern South America. This woodsorrel is typically grown as a houseplant but can be grown outside in USDA climate zones 8a–11, preferably in light shade.

<i>Prosartes hookeri</i> Species of flowering plant

Prosartes hookeri is a North American species of flowering plants in the lily family known by the common names drops of gold and Hooker's fairy bells.

<i>Oxalis incarnata</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis incarnata is a species of flowering plant in the woodsorrel family known by the common names pale pink-sorrel and crimson woodsorrel. It is native to southern Africa, but it can be found on other continents where it is an introduced species, often the descendant of garden escapees. It is grown and kept as an ornamental plant. This is a perennial herb growing from a system of rhizomes and bulbs. The branching, hairless stem grows to nearly 30 centimeters in maximum length. There may be small bulblets located along the stem above ground. The leaves are borne on long petioles in erect bunches, each leaf made up of three leaflets. The solitary flower arises on a peduncle. Each flower has five white to light pink petals.

<i>Oxalis latifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis latifolia is a species of flowering plant in the woodsorrel family known by the common names garden pink-sorrel and broadleaf woodsorrel. It is native to Mexico and parts of Central and South America.

<i>Oxalis purpurea</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis purpurea is a species of flowering plant in the woodsorrel family known by the common name purple woodsorrel. It is native to southern Africa, including South Africa, but it is known on most continents as an introduced species. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant. This perennial herb grows from bulbs and produces a few basal leaves and flowers. The leaf is made up of three hairy leaflets of various shapes which are dark green in color, turning streaked and spotted with brown as they dry. The solitary flower arises on a stemlike peduncle and has five petals which may exceed two centimeters in length. The flower may be white to pink or purple-red.

<i>Oxalis rubra</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis rubra is a species of flowering plant in the woodsorrel family known by the common name red woodsorrel and windowbox woodsorrel. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of Oxalis articulata. It is native to Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, but it is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant and can sometimes be found growing in the wild as a garden escapee. This is a perennial herb growing from a woody rhizome. There is generally no stem, the leaves arising on long petioles from ground level. Each leaf is made up of three leaflets which can vary in shape but are often heart-shaped. The inflorescence is a loose array of white to purple-pink flowers.

<i>Oxalis suksdorfii</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis suksdorfii is a species of flowering plant in the woodsorrel family known by the common name western yellow woodsorrel and Suksdorf's woodsorrel. It is native to the western coast of the United States from Washington to northern California, where it can be found in open and wooded habitat types. It is a perennial herb growing erect or trailing, sometimes rooting at stolons, its stem reaching up to 25 centimeters in length. The leaves are each made up of three leaflets. The inflorescence is a solitary flower or cluster of up to three, each flower with five yellow petals up to 2 centimeters in length.

<i>Geum radiatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Geum radiatum is a rare species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common names spreading avens, Appalachian avens, and cliff avens. It is native to the region of the border between Tennessee and North Carolina in the southeastern United States, where there are eleven known populations remaining. The plant was federally listed as an endangered species in 1990.

<i>Oxalis glabra</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis glabra is a member of the wood-sorrel family, Oxalidaceae. It is only one of the 800 total species belonging to this family. The plant is commonly known as finger-leaf due to its trifoliate leaf structure. This trifoliate structure can be seen in variations throughout all members of the genus Oxalis. However, the particularly narrow leaflets of the glabra plant look more like fingers rather than a common clover. The plant is native to South Africa and can be found carpeting the ground of woodlands and bushlands.

<i>Oxalis debilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis debilis, the large-flowered pink-sorrel or pink woodsorrel, is a perennial plant and herb in the family Oxalidaceae. Its original distribution is South America but has become a very cosmopolitan species, occurring in all continents except Antarctica. It can be found in both temperate and tropical areas.

<i>Oxalis priceae</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis priceae, the tufted yellow woodsorrel, is a species of flowering plant in the woodsorrel family. It is native primarily to southeastern North America, with a disjunct population being known from montane areas of Nuevo León, Mexico. This species is found in dry, rocky, calcareous areas such as cedar glades and cliff faces, but it is occasionally found in oak-pine woodlands and longleaf pine savanna as well.

<i>Oxalis illinoensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis illinoensis, the Illinois woodsorrel, is a species of flowering plant in the woodsorrel family (Oxalidaceae). It is endemic to the United States, where it found in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The limits of the range of this species are unclear due to its similarity to Oxalis grandis, with which there has been confusion.

<i>Oxalis lasiandra</i> Species of tree

Oxalis lasiandra, common names palm tree oxalis and Mexican shamrock, is a plant species native to the Mexican State of Oaxaca but grown as an ornamental in other regions. It occurs in Quercus-Acacia and Quercus forests at elevations of 1,700–2,160 m (5,580–7,090 ft).

<i>Oxalis alpina</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis alpina is a herbaceous perennial plant also known by its common name alpine woodsorrel. It is a species belonging to the genus Oxalis.O. alpina is found in North America and Central America from Guatemala to the southwestern United States.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Pavek, Diane S. (1992) Oxalis montana. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved 12-04-2011.
  2. Archibald William Smith A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins , p. 239, at Google Books
  3. Comerro, H. K. and G. Briggs. (2000). Effects of leaflet orientation on transpiration rates and water potentials of Oxalis montana. SUNY Geneseo Journal of Science and Mathematics. 1(1) 7-10. Retrieved 12-04-2011.
  4. 1 2 Jasienuik, M. and M. J. Lechowicz. (1987). Spatial and temporal variation in chasmogamy and cleistogamy in Oxalis montana (Oxalidaceae). American Journal of Botany74(11) 1672-80. Retrieved 12-04-2011.
  5. Gates, S. C. and H. W. Vogelmann. (1969). Variations in populations of Oxalis montana Raf. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club96(6) 714-19. Retrieved 12-04-2011.
  6. Lyle, Katie Letcher (2010) [2004]. The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: How to Find, Identify, and Cook Them (2nd ed.). Guilford, CN: FalconGuides. pp. 29–30. ISBN   978-1-59921-887-8. OCLC   560560606.