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Oxalis stricta
| Common name: |
Yellow Wood Sorrel |
Family: |
Oxalidaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
43, 274 |
| Synonyms: |
Oxalis dillenii (Jacq.) |
| 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: |
Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Florida and Texas. E. Asia. A rare introduction in Britain. |
| Habitat: |
Dry open soils[43]. Prefers impoverished soils, growing in abandoned fields, roadsides etc[159]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
2 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 1 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Ceratoxalis coloradensis[B,P]
Ceratoxalis cymosa[B,P]
O. brittoniae[B]
O. bushii[B,P]
O. coloradensis[B,P]
O. corniculata var. dillenii[B]
O. cymosa[B,P]
O. dillenii ssp. filipes[B]
O. dillenii var. radicans[B]
O. europaea[B,G,P]
O. europaea var. bushii[B,P]
O. europaea var. rufa[B,P]
O. filipes[B]
O. florida[B]
O. florida ssp. prostrata[B]
O. florida var. filipes[B]
O. fontana[B,DUTCH,P]
O. fontana var. bushii[B,P]
O. interior[B,P]
O. prostrata[B]
O. rufa[B,P]
O. rupestris[B]
O. stricta var. decumbens[B,P]
O. stricta var. piletocarpa[B,P]
O. stricta var. rufa[B,P]
O. stricta var. villicaulis[B,P]
Xanthoxalis brittoniae[B]
Xanthoxalis bushii[B,P]
Xanthoxalis coloradensis[B,P]
Xanthoxalis cymosa[B,P]
Xanthoxalis dillenii[B]
Xanthoxalis dillenii var. piletocarpa[B,P]
Xanthoxalis filipes[B]
Xanthoxalis florida[B]
Xanthoxalis interior[B,P]
Xanthoxalis rufa[B,P]
Xanthoxalis stricta[B,P]
Xanthoxalis stricta var. piletocarpa[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Common Yellow Oxalis [P], Dillen's Oxalis [P], Sorrel,Sheep [E], Upright Yellow Wood-sorrel [B], Wood Sorrel [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
stricta = upright
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Geraniales. Wood-Sorrel family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Us
Us(Kiowa)
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: Western Australia, Tasmaina. |
Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 0.3m. . It is in flower from July to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
We rate it 2/5 for edibility and
1/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor 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
Drink
Flowers Leaves Root Seedpod.
Leaves - raw or cooked[46, 61, 105]. A nice acid flavour[159], the
leaves can also be chewed as a thirst quencher[183]. Use in moderation, see
notes at top of sheet,
Flowers - raw[105, 161, 183]. Added to salads.
Young seedpods - raw[183].
Root[105, 161, 183]. No further details.
A lemon-flavoured drink is made from the leaves[159].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Febrifuge
Poultice Stomachic.
An infusion of the plant has been used in the treatment of fevers,
stomach cramps and nausea[257]. A poultice of the plant has been used to
treat swellings[257].
Other Uses
Dye.
A yellow to orange dye can be obtained by boiling up the whole
plant[257].
Cultivation details
Easily grown in a sandy soil in a warm dry position[1].
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. When they are
large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and
plant them out in the summer.
If you have enough seed it can be sown in situ during the spring.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
References for Oxalis dillenii (a possible synonym).
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants 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]).
[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
[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.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[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.
[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[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.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
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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+stricta
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Oxalis+stricta
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