Scientific Name:
Oxalis corniculata
Pronunciation:
OCKS-uh-liss korn-ee-ku-LAY-tuh
Common Name:
creeping oxalis
Family Name:
Oxalidaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial, Weed (horticultural)
Key ID Features:
Common weed in bed edges or sidewalk cracks; leaves trifolate, leaflets heart-shaped, most 8-12mm long x 14-17mm wide, mid-green with purple tinged magins or entirely purple; flowers yellow with five petals; fruit pod like, most 1-2.5cm long, exploding when ripe to release many seeds.
Habit:
Spreading
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.4 - 0.7m
Mature Spread:
0.6 - 1.0m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China (Naturalized In BC)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Compound Leaf:
Trifoliate (ternate)
Colour in Fall:
Yellow, Brown
Shapes:
Obovate
Apices:
Emarginate or retuse
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Ciliate, Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Yellow
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug, Sep
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Green
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug, Sep
Bark or Stem Colour:
Organ Modifications:
Aerial or climbing roots
Propagation:
Seed, Division - above ground parts
Pest Susceptibility:
Fungal leaf spot, Rust
