Plant Name
Scientific Name: Oxalis corniculata
Synonyms: Acetosella corniculata, Oxalis langloisii, O. pusilla, O. repens, O. villosa, Xanthoxalis corniculata, X. langloisii, X. repens
Common Names: Creeping Woodsorrel, Creeping Wood Sorrel, Creeping Oxalis, Creeping Woods, Yellow Oxalis, Yellow Wood Sorrel
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Annual, Perennial
Growth Habit: Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert, Upland, Mountain, Riparian. This plant is a common lawn and garden weed, where it can be quite invasive and difficult to completely eradicate.
Flower Color: Yellow
Flowering Season: Spring, Summer, Fall
Height: To only 5 inches (13 cm) tall
Description: The flowers are 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) across and have 5 oval petals. The leaves are clover-like and palmate with 3 notched, heart-shaped, green leaflets. The leaflets fold up at night. The plants are low-growing and have long, trailing stems that root at the leaf nodes, allowing them to spread rapidly.
Special Characteristics
Poisonous – The leaves contain oxalic acid, but they are not usually harmful if only small amounts are consumed.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Geraniales
Family: Oxalidaceae – Wood-Sorrel family
Genus: Oxalis L. – woodsorrel
Species: Oxalis corniculata L. – creeping woodsorrel
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