Oxalis violacea (Violet wood sorrel)

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Oxalis violacea L.

Violet wood sorrel

Violet wood sorrel is native to the eastern and central United States.

Plants: Low plants 2½–5″ (7–13 cm) tall have flowers up to 9″ (23 cm) tall. They grow from scaly coated bulbs.

Leaves: Each leaf has three smooth-edged heart-shaped (obcordate) leaflets about 1″ (2.5 cm) around. The leaflets are evenly arranged around a petiole that emerges directly out of the ground. The green leaves may turn purple if exposed to cold conditions or excessive sunlight.

Flowers: Lavender to pink to white in color, with greenish throats and ten stamens. (Most Oxalis species have yellow flowers.) Flowers appear on leafless stems 3½–6″ (9–14 cm) tall, from April to May or June. With ample rain, additional flowers may appear as late as October.

Fruits: The root systems spread clonally. Thin pointed seed capsules split into five sections, containing light brown seeds that are sometimes ejected several inches.

Habitats: Dryish, acidic soils on glades, rocky open woods, limestone glades, and fields and prairies.

Edibility: Mildly toxic.

Online References:

Illinois Wildflowers

The Missouri Botanical Garden

Go Botany

Wikipedia

Ionoxalis violacea (L.) Small
Oxalis violacea L. var. trichophora Fassett
Sassia violacea (L.) Holub

10/8/2007 · By Jacquelyn Boyt

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Geraniales	Balsams, mustards, geraniums, wood sorrels, nasturtiums, others
Family	Oxalidaceae	Wood sorrels
Genus	Oxalis	Wood sorrels (Oxalis means “sour”)
Species	violacea	Violet-colored

About plant names...

Range: Zones 5-9:

About this map...

Oxalis violacea description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.