Oxalis corniculata subsp. corniculata
Common names
creeping woodsorrel, horned oxalis
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
Yellow
Detailed description
Prostrate to erect to almost semi-scrambling; lacking bulbs, has a wiry tap root; occasionally rooting at nodes, foliage and stems green, leaves glabrous or nearly so above, capsule hairs dense and touching, eglandular; seed 1.0-1.3 mm long, usually with 8-11 deep, ± acute ridges.
Similar taxa
Oxalis corniculata var. atropurpurea is included in var. corniculata by many authorities. In NZ the two are often easy to distinguish by var. atropurpurea having purple foliage and stems, a thicker tap-root, and it grows in more arid sites. O. thompsoniae (q.v.) resembles var. corniculata but its capsules have dense retrorse pubescence overtopped by long, patent, septate hairs; its seeds are smooth or nearly so rather than ribbed.
Habitat
Gardens, mostly in deeper soils and more shaded sites than var. atropurpurea.
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Ecology
Year naturalised
1944
Origin
Almost cosmopolitan
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACU: Facultative Upland
Occasionally is a hydrophyte but usually occurs in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
oxalis: From the Greek word oxus meaning acid or sharp
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
OXACSC
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
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 amended 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.