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Oxalis pes-caprae
| Common name: |
Bermuda Buttercup |
Family: |
Oxalidaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
73, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
Oxalis cernua (Thunb.) |
| 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. Africa. Occasionally naturalized in Britain. |
| Habitat: |
Roadsides and grassy places in S. Africa[73]. Occasionally naturalized in S.W. England but it does not flower there[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. |
| Bolboxalis cernua[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| African Wood-sorrel [B], African Woodsorrel [P], Sorrel [E], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Geraniales. Wood-Sorrel family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Australia
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA
PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmaina. |
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.2m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 9. It is in flower from March to June. 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) and medium (loamy) 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
Leaves; Root.
Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 173]. Use in moderation, see notes at top of
sheet.
Root - cooked[22, 46, 103, 173].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
None known
Other Uses
None known
Cultivation details
Easily grown in a sandy soil in a warm dry position[1].
This species is not very cold-hardy in Britain, though it is naturalized in
parts of south-western England[1, 17]. It tolerates temperatures down to
about -5°c[90].
Plants spread rapidly when in a suitable environment and can quite easily
become a weed in virtually frost-free environments[200, 260]. Plants seldom
produce seed in Europe but they spread by means of asexually produced
bulbils[200].
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
- [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.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- Images
from the CalPhoto database.
- [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 cernua (a possible synonym).
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
References for the family Oxalidaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[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]).
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[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.
[22] Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.
Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[73] Adamson. and Salter. Flora of the Cape Peninsula.
A good flora but rather short on details of habitat. Not for the casual reader.
[90] Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30253-1
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.
[103] Haywood. V. H. Flowering Plants of the World. Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-217674-9
Very readable and well illustrated, it lists plants by families giving the basic diagnostic features and some details of plant uses.
[173] Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton 1990 ISBN 0-340-508302
A very well written and illustrated book based on the authors own experiments with living on a native diet.
[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.
[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.
Readers Comments
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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+pes%2dcaprae
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Oxalis+pes%2dcaprae
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