Oxalis stricta L.

common names: upright yellow wood sorrel, sourgrass, sheep poison, toad-sorrel, Ladies' sorrel

higher taxa: the family includes about seven genera and 900 species, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, a few extending into temperate regions.

identification: Oxalis stricta is a common plant of roadsides, woods, and fields. Although this 3 to 20 inch high plant is often considered a weed, it is attractive with its pale green leaves and bright yellow flowers almost one half inch broad. The authority who described this species is Linnaeus. They are deposited in various herbariums, including the Patuxent Herbarium.

geography:

AREA: North America STATUS: yes REFERENCE: Hausman. 1957

AREA: Eastern North America STATUS: yes REFERENCE: Hausman. 1957

AREA: Southeastern United States STATUS: yes REFERENCE: Duncan and Foot. 1975

AREA: Southern Appalachian States STATUS: yes REFERENCE: Duncan and Foot. 1975

AREA: Coastal Plain STATUS: no information, but possibly REFERENCE: Thomas

AREA: Piedmont STATUS: no information, but possibly REFERENCE: Thomas

AREA: Blue Ridge Mountains STATUS: yes REFERENCE: Wyatt. 1974

AREA: Great Smokey Mountains National Park STATUS: yes REFERENCE: Wyatt. 1974

AREA: Ridge and Valley STATUS: no information, but probably REFERENCE: Thomas

AREA: Cumberland Plateau STATUS: no information, but possibly REFERENCE: Thomas

AREA: Georgia STATUS: yes REFERENCE: Duncan and Foot. 1975

AREA: Clarke County, Georgia STATUS: yes REFERENCE: UGA Herbarium Specimens

natural history and how to encounter: This species of yellow wood sorrel is a perennial, which spreads only by seeds. Plants that have been pulled often will have a pink root in order for it to survive the winter months. Seeds are stored in an upright pod, which is green , but eventualyy matures to a light green or bown color. The yelow wood sorrel has no runners. A dry pod will split along the seams and throw its small, red-brown seeds from the plant. This allows for colonization of new field areas. A small infestation can fill an entire field within a few years. This species is edible. The leaves, green seed pods, and stems can be eaten in salads. They have a sour taste, that can be thirst quenching. They also contain oxalic acid, which can be toxic in large quantities.

references: Duncan, Wilbur and Leonard Foote. Wildflowers of the Southeastern United States. The University of Georgia, 1975

Else, M.J. and A.R. Bonanno. University of Connecticut Integrated Pest Management Program. "Strawberry Weeds:Yellow Wood Sorrel

Hausman, Ethel. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Wildflowers. Garden City Publishing, 1957

Porter, C.L. The Taxonomy of Flowering Plants. University of Wyoming. W.H. Printing and Co. New York, 1967

Verhoek, Susan and Mabel Cuthbert. How to Know the Spring Flowers. Wm.C. Brown Company Publishers. Iowa, 1982

Author:

Timika L. Thomas

Biology Major

University of Georgia