PlantFiles: Snowdrop Wood-sorrel
Oxalis magellanica

Oxalis magellanica is native to South America & Australia where it grows in moist grasslands and along streams in the higher altitudes. It is also found growing in the cracks of walls and in stony places.

O. magellanica has tiny dark-green palmate leaves with three inverted heart-shaped leaflets. In strong sunlight, the leaves may take on a bronzed hue. It has a dense habit, hugging close to the ground. Large-ish white flowers appear from late spring to mid-summer.

O. magellanica spreads by shallow underground rhisomes, so plenty of room is needed in cultivation. It is well-suited for rock gardens and troughs. It also produces roundish seed pods that droop down, then face upward when ripe. When the pods pop open, seeds are flung for a long distance. This plant could be considered invasive.

One can easily start a new plant by dividing a rhisome and sticking it in the soil. Also, seeds can be collected by picking pods before they burst, then popping the pod in a confined space. Divide the seed from the white coating.