Simplified view off

Oxalis corniculata subsp. corniculata var. atropurpurea

Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 20/04/2006, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>

Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 14/11/2006, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>

Stipules. Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 14/11/2006, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>

Stipule. Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 14/11/2006, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>

Capsules. Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 22/11/2008, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>

Seeds, c. 1.5 mm long. Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 14/11/2006, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>

Whanganui.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Date taken: 15/05/2015, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>

Download PDF Comment on factsheetFind in plant lists

NZ Flora Click here to view Herbarium View AVH specimens Donate Support NZPCN

Common names

creeping woodsorrel, horned oxalis

Biostatus

Exotic

Conservation status

Not applicable

Structural class

Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites

Flower colours

Yellow

Detailed description

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.

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.

Detailed taxonomy

Genus

Oxalis

Family

Oxalidaceae

Authority

Oxalis corniculata subsp. corniculata var. atropurpurea Planch.

Endemic genus

Endemic family

Ecology

Life cycle and dispersal

Seeds dispersed by ballistic projection, wind and water (Thorsen et al., 2009)

Other information

Etymology

oxalis: From the Greek word oxus meaning acid or sharp

Referencing and citations

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.

Attribution

Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by C.C. Ogle, 12 Sept. 2014. Description adapted from Allan (1961).

Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.

Search flora