PlantFiles: Yellow Wood Sorrel
Oxalis stricta

Oxalis strica is native to North America, but is found in Eurasia, as well. It grows along roadsides and trails, even growing in the cracks of sidewalks. It is a familiar "weed" in flower beds, as well.

O. stricta has light green, compound heart-shaped leaves. Each leaflet has a crease, and they fold upward to close in the evening or when stressed. In some cases, the leaves are tinged with purple. Their erect habit differs from other sorrels, as do the stems that tend to jut out at 90 degree angles. Small yellow flowers bloom from spring to autumn, singly or in clusters.

O. stricta does not throw runners, but reproduces by seed. It can function as either annual or perennial. The elongated seed pods have five compartments approximately 10 seeds to a compartment. When ripe, the pods burst at the slightest touch, spreading seed as far as 8 or 10 feet away.

The oxalic acid of O. stricta gives the foliage, flowers and seed pods their sour taste. They are a welcome addition to salads and a refreshing snack along trails. However, excessive amounts of oxalic acid are toxic, so consume conservatively.

This invasive plant grows nearly everywhere in the USA. It is not a very attractive plant, in my opinion- it is small and not very showy. Everywhere I've gardened, this stuff has been a pain to keep out of my veggie and flower beds.

Oxalis europaea, Yellow Wood Sorrel
No, I don't plant this native little guy but I do enjoy it. Even though it does come up when it may not be wanted I gather and press it to use in botanical artwork. Once you pick it, you need to press quickly because the leaves will begin to close in a minute or two. The flowers are not worth pressing but the leaves are excellent even if a little difficult to press. Besides, there are no weeds, only misplaced plants!

I think this native is cute, even if it is somewhat, errr, exhuberant in its spreading habit. :)
Some people have found a great use for it. When I was at a home & garden show recently, a number of vendors had potatoes with O.stricta growing in them! Such a cute decorative idea for St.Patrick's Day! So, try to save some of that "pesky" seed to plant indoors next January or February, so you can celebrate the Wearin' (or Growin') of the Green!
(yeah, so it's not the traditional Irish shamrock, so what?)

This plant comes up volunteer in my garden, but not enough for my tastes. Oxalis is so called due to the presence of oxalic acid, so the vegetation tastes sour, like lemons. Some people call the little seed pods "little bananas." I like to collect the seeds when ripe- the pods are spring-loaded and launch the seeds everywhere. It is possible to make a lemonade substitue using a concentration of this plant- it was rather popular in the olden days, I understand. Like many foods, you can have too much of a good thing: if you were to eat only oxalis by the plateful over the course of several days, you would be asking for trouble (in the form of gall stones, etc...)- not that this is a very likey occurance, but a disclaimer is always handy. I sometimes wonder if the fake lemonade would have had the same effect...

I live in Southern Ontario(zone 6a) and this is a peskey weed! It'll grow ANYWHERE! In deep dry shade, baking hot sun and it sprouts up behind the lattice on the front of the house where theres almost no light and it never gets any moisture in there........But it somehow sprouts, grows big and pokes through. I also have a purple form that sprouts up in the sunnier spots.....To me its a weed!

Wood sorrel is definitly a somewhat noxious plant here in Hawaii, but I do not see it in a bad light, for it is very useful as medicine. If I see it, a gather and dry it to use later. Also, it is a very pretty plant that I don't mind seing. Of course, I like a somewhat meadowy looking yard, so that could explain it.

I love this plant. It has nice yellow flowers and the leaves are delicious. To bad the creeping charlie wiped it out in my yard.

I'm in the Southern California, Los Angeles area. Yellow Wood Sorrel shows up whether we like it or not around here. It can be a pest but I've been trying it out as a dye plant (the flower part) for cotton. It seems to work fine dried - so I collect and save year around.

It is a weed in everywhere in pots,and on ground.Freely Grow and provide lots of seeds.

This is a very aggressive weed - Number 1 worst weed for me. Will grow anywhere - even the purple leaf form is just as bad - comes in three size - giant where there are lots of competitions, regular for most landscapes, and dwarf for paths and even lawns. I have seen the dwarf flower and set seeds in lawns. I consider this species the most evil little thing that ever existed.

Wouldn't grow it on purpose, but don't mind it either-have fond memories of looking for this one as a child and eating it. Now my oldest son hunts out the "little bananas" to eat.

wow...was completely amazed to see any but negative comments about this horrific pest. I grow a lot of rare succulents and cacti, and this plant is ubiquitous and impossible to eradicate. That anyone would actually grow it on purpose amazes me. If anyone wants some, I have about a hundred million specimens.

I was wondering for a while there if perhaps this was a plant that actually spontaneously generated itself since it virtually showed up in every potted plant I ever bought or planted myself, even those from certified sterile soils. Then I was weeding some cactus pots with exceptionally dry soils, and just touching the Oxalis plants elicited an 'explosion' from their seed pods send showers of itty bitty reddish brown seeds in all diretions, up to several feet away, including straight up (and into other pots several shelves up)... ah ha! So that's how it magically ends up everywhere. And if weeding this pest and any segment of it gets left behind, it seems to regenerate itself. It is very hard to pull up from succulent pots as it seems to run its root system down right next to the succulent's roots, so either both plants come up, or the root snaps off... and simply regrows 2 seconds later. Augh! Ugly plant, too... at least in succulent pots where it gets less water and nutrients that it wants (though that sure doesn't seem to keep it from growing). In pots with palms where they get lots of water and fertilizer, this plant looks a lot more lush... and easier to pull up, too. Still, it never goes away.