Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
plantman71

oxalis question

plantman71
11 years ago

Does anyone know what the name of the oxalis that has been in most Southern gardens forever? It makes a big round clump covered with pink and sometimes white flowers. It stays green all winter. I have done all the searches I can think of.It has blooms like wood sarrow, but sarrow just has a few. This is covered. No sarrow that I have seen makes a clump like this.
I am trying to name a few of the plants that I got from my collectingfamily. I could more than likely ask Debra and she would know, Don't want her to think she knows more about plants tha I do.
I have been thinking about the first (1) Al. Plant swap. It was held at Gerrywood Assembly of God Church in Hueytown. I got my White butterfly jinger from Terry there. Good man. I also got my burning bush and my first trillium.

Comments (10)

  • bulzi
    11 years ago

    plantman71, the Oxalis may be called,'Acetosella', brought from Europe and has become a Southern Charm. If you want it to multiply like crazy...till it . Has a lemon flavor, can be use in salads. When I was kid, a A neighbor planted some along her sidewalk and she threw some into the hedges between us and soon we also had it . Tough plant. Do not think it seeds.

  • lsmcw
    11 years ago

    Look up Oxalis crassipes rosea and see if this is what you have.

  • bulzi
    11 years ago

    Ismcw, crassipes rosea looks more like the one that I have....thanks....joseph

  • plantman71
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Joseph, Yes, crassipes rosea is the one that I have and crassipes alba is my white. When I typed in oxalis crassipes I got lots of sites. Before when I type in oxalis, I got no info. on crassipes.
    Thanks, Joseph and bulzi love Graden Web, meet lots of smart nice people that likes to help. I know I will have pink for Spring swap. I should have white.
    Thanks, Tony

  • keepingon
    11 years ago

    Hello all, I think this is what may have come up in the woods out back last summer. I didn't find it until winter and noticed it was still green and the cloverleaf was BIG. Never saw it bloom. Does this plant have leaflets size of a half dollar?

  • plantman71
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    keepingon, your plant sounds like white or red clover. The oxilis has smaller leaves like a nickel.
    Tony

  • keepingon
    10 years ago

    Hi Plantsman, the clover you suggested is now blooming, but looks like crassipes rosea. Some out back do have the nickle sized leaflets, but I have found many more clumps with the half dollar size. They obviously reseeded from somewhere, never found these large ones before. Is this plant an invasive re-seeder? Will I be sorry if I move some into my beds? I already have plenty of yellow oxalis in the grass--do not need any more.

    The small pink oxalis I have always had in the woods have a dark maroon mark on each leaf and have already bloomed, but these larger plants are solid green. Flower stems are also much taller. The clumps that have always been there seem to stay very small.

    Topsie: Tks for the link, it described o. crassipes rosa as 10" tall; another site gives height @ 6" tall. I think I must have both. I'll not worry about it, both are sweet.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    10 years ago

    I love this Oxalis, whichever it is!

    When I dug up the grass here last spring, I saved the Oxalis bulbs from the grass roots and put them back.
    {{gwi:359197}}

    {{gwi:359198}}

    They make lower (like a caterpillar) and upper (more round) bulbs. Either can be planted separately. The caterpillar-shaped sections start out looking like a string of pearls. When people excavate, I think these are often missed, possibly the whole lower bulb, and why they come back so much after being dug up. I don't find them hard to move when I come home with a plant that needs a spot in the bed, they're not deep. It's a fine groundcover, IMO. Comes up earlier than a lot of weeds, shading them out, makes an incredible show of flowers, then dies back when it gets hot so the other plants in the bed can be visible (and not create a haven for snakes/varmints.)
    {{gwi:83060}}

    Thick, fleshy, watery stems.
    {{gwi:83059}}

  • plantman71
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Purple, the oxalis you are showing is Crassipes rosea. I have big clumps that has hundreds od little bulbs. I also have crassipes alba, white clover, big leaf shamrock with purple leafs, green leafs, and the Iron Cross ones. I also have native ones in my so called garden. I like them all. Thanks all for the info.
    Tony

Sponsored
Central Ohio's Source for Reliable, Top-Quality Roofing Solutions