Oxalis oregana

Oxalis oregana subsp. var.	Redwood Sorrel
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Leaves of O. oregana

Redwood Sorrel or Oregon Oxalis (Oxalis oregana) is a species of the wood sorrel family, Oxalidaceae, native to moist Douglas-fir and Coast Redwood forests of western North America from southwestern British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California.

It is a short herbaceous perennial plant with erect flowering stems 5-15 cm tall. The three leaflets are heart-shaped, 1-4.5 cm long with purplish undersides, on 5-20 cm stalks. The inflorescence is 2.4-4 cm in diameter, white to pink with five petals and sepals. The hairy five-chambered seed capsules are egg-shaped, 7-9 mm long; seeds are almond shaped.

Redwood sorrel photosynthesises at relatively low levels of ambient light (1/200th of full sunlight). When direct sunlight strikes the leaves they fold downwards; when shade returns, the leaves reopen. Taking only a few minutes, this movement is observable to the eye.

The leaves of Oxalis oregana were eaten by Native Americans, probably in small quantities, since they contain mildly toxic oxalic acid, whence the genus name.

Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
Oxalis oregana, Nutt. Low: lfts. broadly obcordate, 1-2 in. wide: fls. white or rosy, yellowish at base, deeper veined. N. W. coast. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Gallery

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Oxalis oregana. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Oxalis oregana QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)