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Oxalis purpurea

Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Date taken: 01/05/2010, 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>

Waiwhakaiho River mouth, New Plymouth. Jun 2012.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, 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>

In old dune sand, in impoverished lawn on steep slope.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Date taken: 10/10/2025, Licence: Public domain. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>

In old dune sand, in impoverished lawn on steep slope on.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Date taken: 10/10/2025, Licence: Public domain. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>

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Common names

large-flowered oxalis

Biostatus

Exotic

Structural class

Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites

Simplified description

Perennial herb with dark-brown coated bulbs and white bulbils; stemless or a very short stem above ground; trifoliate with lower surfaces of leaflets somewhat glossy, matt above; ciliated margins and sometimes sparsely hairy on surfaces. Flowers solitary on hairy peduncles; petals variable in colour - white, rose-pink, mauve-pink to magenta.

Flower colours

Red/Pink, White

Substrate details

Dry sandy soils, especially in lawns and dunes

Conservation status

Not applicable

Detailed taxonomy

Genus

Oxalis

Family

Oxalidaceae

Authority

Oxalis purpurea L.

Endemic genus

Endemic family

Ecology

Fruiting

Seed not known in New Zealand.

Year naturalised

1883

Origin

South Africa

Life cycle and dispersal

Disperses as bulbs or bulbils through cultivation.

Other information

Etymology

oxalis: From the Greek word oxus meaning acid or sharp

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