Oxalis stricta

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Oxalis stricta
6h common yellow oxalis.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. stricta
Binomial name
Oxalis stricta
Synonyms

Oxalis europaeaJord.
Oxalis fontanaBunge

Oxalis stricta, called the common yellow woodsorrel (or simply yellow woodsorrel), common yellow oxalis, upright yellow-sorrel, lemon clover, or more ambiguously and informally "sourgrass", "sheep weed", [2] or "pickle plant", is a herbaceous plant [3] native to North America, parts of Eurasia, and a rare introduction in Britain. [4] It tends to grow in woodlands, meadows, and in disturbed areas as both a perennial and annual. [5] Erect when young, this plant later becomes decumbent as it lies down, and branches regularly. It is not to be confused with similar plants in the same genus which are also often referred to as "yellow woodsorrel".

Growth

Commonly considered a weed of gardens, fields, and lawns, it grows in full sun or shade. The alternate leaves of this plant are divided into three heart-shaped leaflets (a typical trait of other species of Oxalis) that can grow up to 2 cm wide. These leaves curl up at night (exhibiting nyctinasty), and open in the day to perform photosynthesis. The mature seed capsules open explosively when disturbed (a very similar trait to that of the mature seed capsules or fruits of plants found in the genus Impatiens ) and can disperse seeds up to 4 meters (about 13 feet) away. The flowers of the plant are hermaphroditic, blooming from July to October.

O. stricta generally requires dry or moist, alkaline soils, preferring sandy and loamy dirt to grow in. It requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor grounds.

Cultivation

Culinary uses

A diagram showing various parts of young O. stricta plants Warming-Skudbygning-Fig21-Oxalis-stricta.jpg
A diagram showing various parts of young O. stricta plants

All parts of the plant are edible, [4] with a distinct tangy flavor (common to all plants in the genus Oxalis ). However, it should only be eaten in small quantities, since oxalic acid is an antinutrient and can inhibit the body's absorption supply of calcium. [6]

Oxalis stricta, showing seed pods. Oxalis stricta0.jpg
Oxalis stricta, showing seed pods.

The leaves and flowers of the plant are sometimes added to salads for decoration and flavoring. These can also be chewed raw (along with other parts of the plant, but not the root) as a thirst-quencher. [4] The green pods are pleasant raw, having a juicy crisp texture and a tartness similar to rhubarb in flavor.

The leaves can be used to make a flavored drink that is similar in taste to lemonade,<!original reference:[159] McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977 ISBN 0-253-28925-4 A nice pocket guide to this region of America.> [4] and the whole plant can be brewed as herbal tea that has an aroma somewhat like that of cooked green beans.

The juices of the plant have been extracted from its greens as a substitute to common vinegar.

Oxalis stricta contains large amounts of vitamin C.[ citation needed ]

Practical uses

An orange dye can be obtained by boiling the whole plant. [4]

Medicinal uses

A poultice of the plant has been used to treat swellings. [4]

Related Research Articles

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<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 acetosella</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Oxalidaceae

Oxalis acetosella, the wood sorrel or common wood sorrel, is a rhizomatous flowering plant in the family Oxalidaceae, common in most of Europe and parts of Asia. The specific epithet acetosella refers to its sour taste. The common name wood sorrel is often used for other plants in the genus Oxalis. In much of its range it is the only member of its genus and hence simply known as "the" wood sorrel. While common wood sorrel may be used to differentiate it from most other species of Oxalis, in North America, Oxalis montana is also called common wood sorrel. It is also known as Alleluia because it blossoms between Easter and Pentecost, when the Psalms which end with Hallelujah are sung.

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

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

<i>Rumex acetosella</i> Species of flowering plant

Rumex acetosella, commonly known as red sorrel, sheep's sorrel, field sorrel and sour weed, is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Native to Eurasia and the British Isles, the plant and its subspecies are common perennial weeds. It has green arrowhead-shaped leaves and red-tinted deeply ridged stems, and it sprouts from an aggressive and spreading rhizome. The flowers emerge from a tall, upright stem. Female flowers are maroon in color.

<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>Medicago lupulina</i> Species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae

Medicago lupulina, commonly known as black medick, nonesuch, or hop clover, is a plant of dry grassland belonging to the legume or clover family. Plants of the genus Medicago, or bur clovers, are closely related to the true clovers (Trifolium) and sweet clover (Melilotus). Like the true clovers, black medick has three leaflets and a small, yellow flower closely resembling those of lesser trefoil. Black medick belongs to the same genus as alfalfa.

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

Oxalis barrelieri, the Barrelier's woodsorrel, or lavender sorrel, also commonly called in French trèfle, oseille-marron, or oseille-savane, is a plant from the genus Oxalis.

<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>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 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 montana</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

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

Oxalis articulata, known as pink-sorrel, pink wood sorrel, windowbox wood-sorrel, Chari amilo (Nepal), sourgrass,, Netho (khatta) saag (India) is a perennial plant species in the genus Oxalis native to temperate South America. It has been introduced in Europe in gardens and is now naturalized in these areas.

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

Oxalis grandis, commonly known as great yellow woodsorrel or large yellow wood sorrel, is an annual plant and herb in the woodsorrel family. It is native to the eastern United States from Georgia north to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, west as far as Louisiana. It blooms from May to June with yellow flowers and grows in sandy woods or alluvial soils.

<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 dillenii</i> Species of flowering plant


Oxalis dillenii, the southern wood-sorrel, slender yellow woodsorrel, or Dillen's oxalis, is a species in the woodsorrel family. Like other Oxalis species, the leaves of this plant resemble clover leaves, with three leaflets. The flowers have five yellow petals that are 4 to 10 mm in length. The leaflets are 1 to 2 cm wide with pointed hairs. The fruits are rather brown and are 1.5 to 2.5 cm. It is often considered a weed, and can be found worldwide, but likely originated in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring greens</span>

Spring greens, or spring vegetables, are the edible young leaves or new plant growth of a large number of plants that are most fit for consumption when their newest growth happens in the spring. Many leaf vegetables become less edible as they age and bitter, or potentially even toxic, compounds start to form. Harvesting of spring vegetables is common across Native American cultures.

References

  1. "Oxalis stricta L." Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  2. Common Yellow Oxalis (Oxalis stricta)
  3. Oxalis stricta
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Oxalis stricta Yellow Wood Sorrel, Common yellow oxalis, Common Yellow Wood Sorrel, Oxalis PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  5. "Oxalis stricta (Yellow Wood Sorrel)". www.kingdomplantae.net. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  6. "Oxalis stricta (Yellow Wood Sorrel) - Practical Plants". practicalplants.org. Retrieved 2016-08-02.