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Oxalis corymbosa

Common name:	Lilac Oxalis	Family:	Oxalidaceae
Author:	DC.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:	Oxalis martiana (Zucc.), Oxalis debilis corymbosa ((DC.)Lourteig.)
Known Hazards:	The leaves contain oxalic acid, which gives them their sharp flavour. Perfectly all right in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since oxalic acid can bind up the body's supply of calcium leading to nutritional deficiency. The quantity of oxalic acid will be reduced if the leaves are cooked. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[238].
Range:	S. America. Naturalized in Britain.
Habitat:	A weed of disturbed ground and gardens in Britain, especially near London[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Ionoxalis martiana[B,P] O. debilis var. corymbosa[B,G,P] O. latifolia[B,C,CAL,E,G,L,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Broad-leaf Wood-sorrel [B], Broadleaf Woodsorrel [P], Mexican Oxalis [L], Pink Woodsorrel [P], Sheep Shar [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	corymbosa = full of corymbs;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Geraniales. Wood-Sorrel family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Hawaii; India(Oraon); Mexico; Us(Al); Us(Hawaii)
Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds	From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia , DEFRA Injurious Weeds
	Listed as noxious/invasive for: Western Australia, Tasmaina.

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.15m. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in flower from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, In Walls, In South Wall, In West Wall.

Edible Uses

Flowers; Leaves; Root.

Leaves and leafstalks - raw or cooked[144]. Use in moderation, see notes at top of sheet.
Flowers - raw. A pleasant acid flavour, they make an ornamental addition to a mixed salad[K].
Root - raw. Sweet, crisp and succulent[144, 177].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a sandy soil in a warm dry position[1].
Plants are not very hardy in Britain according to one report which lists this plant as succeeding in climatic zone 9 and thus only tolerating occasional light frosts[200]. However, it is naturalized in parts of Britain, especially near London[17]. It is growing well in our &ndndndnd site, where it has proved to be hardy since 1994[K].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in late spring or early summer.
Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Oxalis debilis var. corymbosa (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Oxalis latifolia (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Oxalis martiana (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for the family Oxalidaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[144] Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976 ISBN 0-00-634436-4
A very good pocket guide.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Oxalis+corymbosa
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Oxalis+corymbosa

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