Species
Oxalis corniculata subsp. corniculata var. atropurpurea
Etymology
Oxalis: From the Greek word oxus meaning acid or sharp
Common Name(s)
Creeping woodsorrel, horned oxalis
Authority
Oxalis corniculata subsp. corniculata var. atropurpurea Planch.
Family
Oxalidaceae
Flora Category
Vascular - Exotic
Structural Class
Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites
Habitat
Gardens, most commonly in sunny sites with shallow soils such as rock gardens, around the bases of potted plants and gravel paths and driveways.
Features
Mostly rosettes of ground-hugging foliage; lacking bulbs, tap root thicker than in var. corniculata; occasionally rooting at nodes; foliage and stems purple-green; leaves glabrous above; peduncle and calyx purple, capsule hairs rather dense and ± touching, eglandular, seed c. 1.5 mm long usually with 9-11 acute ridges.
Flower Colours
Yellow
Life Cycle and Dispersal
Seeds dispersed by ballistic projection, wind and water (Thorsen et al., 2009)
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by C.C. Ogle, 12 Sept. 2014. Description adapted from Allan (1961).
References and further reading
Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285-309
Webb, C.J.; Sykes, W.R.; Garnock-Jones, P.J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand Volume IV, Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons: 916.
This page last updated on 14 Nov 2014