Oxalidaceae
Wood Sorrel Family
Oxalis violacea L.
- Stem: perennial; buried, scaly, bulblike base.
- Leaves: basal, compound with three leaflets at the end of smooth leaf stalks; the leaflets 1/2” by 1/2”, widest above the middle, tapering to the base, and with a notch at the tip end (shamrock-shaped), the leaflets folding and drooping at night; the leaf stalks about 2” long.
- Inflorescence: umbel of flowers at the end of a flower stalk (about 4” long), which surpasses the leaves.
- Flowers: pale violet corolla, funnel-shaped, each petal 1/2” long; calyx 5/32” long, the lobes brown-tipped; flowering from late April to late May.
- Fruits: capsules roundish, 5/16” long by 1/4” in diameter; remnants of the five style branches attached at the tips; drooping; fruiting begins in mid-May.
- Habitat: frequent to common on dry, sandy, and Loess Hills prairies; also in dry, woodland openings, in open woods, and on moist prairies.
- Notes: Flowers of two forms, pins and thrums. Pins have short stamens and long styles, while thrums have long stamens and short styles.
- Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Vascular Plants of Iowa
Can be found in these counties:
