Creeping woodsorrel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Creeping woodsorrel
Scientific classification
Synonyms
List Acetosella corniculata (L.) Kuntze Acetosella corniculata var. subglabra Kuntze Acetosella corniculata var. villosa (M.Bieb.) Kuntze Acetosella herpestica (Schltdl.) Kuntze Acetosella simulans (Baker) Kuntze Oxalis albicans var. sericea DC. Oxalis boreaui P.Fourn. Oxalis boridiensis R.Knuth Oxalis ceratilis E.Mey. Oxalis ciliifera A.Cunn. Oxalis corniculata var. atropurpurea Planch. Oxalis corniculata var. corcovadensis R.Knuth Oxalis corniculata var. glabrocapsula Roti Mich. Oxalis corniculata var. langloisii (Small) Wiegand Oxalis corniculata var. macrophylla Arsène ex R.Knuth Oxalis corniculata var. pilosiuscula (Kunth) Zucc. Oxalis corniculata var. pubescens Griseb. Oxalis corniculata var. radicosa (A.Rich.) Roti Mich. Oxalis corniculata var. repens (Thunb.) Zucc. Oxalis corniculata rubra G.Nicholson Oxalis corniculata var. villosa (M.Bieb.) Hohen. Oxalis corniculata var. viscidula Wiegand Oxalis diffusa Boreau Oxalis foliosa Blatt. Oxalis furcata Elliott Oxalis glauca Raf. ex DC. Oxalis grenadensis Urb. Oxalis herpestica Schltdl. Oxalis humistrata Willd. ex Steud. Oxalis jamaicensis Macfad. Oxalis javanica Blume Oxalis langloisii (Small) Fedde Oxalis lujula Noronha Oxalis lupulina Kunth Oxalis lutea Steud. Oxalis meridensis Pittier Oxalis micrantha Bojer ex Progel Oxalis minima Steud. Oxalis monadelpha Roxb. ex Wight & Arn. Oxalis norlindiana R.Knuth Oxalis pilosiuscula Kunth Oxalis pubescens Stokes Oxalis pusilla Salisb. Oxalis radicosa A.Rich. Oxalis recisa Noronha Oxalis repens Thunb. Oxalis reptans Sol. ex G.Forst. Oxalis simulans Baker Oxalis steudeliana R.Knuth Oxalis taiwanensis (Masam.) Masam. Oxalis tenuicaulis A.Cunn. Oxalis thunbergiana Montrouz. Oxalis trinidadensis R.Knuth Oxalis uittienii J.T.Jansen Oxalis urvillei A.Cunn. Oxalis villosa M.Bieb. Oxys corniculata (L.) Scop. Oxys lutea Lam. Xanthoxalis corniculata (L.) Small Xanthoxalis corniculata subsp. repens (Thunb.) Tzvelev Xanthoxalis grenadensis (Urb.) Tzvelev ex Prob. & Sokolovsk. Xanthoxalis langloisii Small Xanthoxalis repens (Thunb.) Moldenke Xanthoxalis trinidadensis (R.Knuth) Holub

Purple leaved variety.

Oxalis corniculata, the creeping woodsorrel, also called procumbent yellow sorrel or sleeping beauty, resembles the common yellow woodsorrel, Oxalis stricta. It is a somewhat delicate-appearing, low-growing, herbaceous plant in the family Oxalidaceae.

Description

It has a narrow, creeping stem that readily roots at the nodes. The trifoliate leaves are subdivided into three rounded leaflets and resemble a clover in shape. Some varieties have green leaves, while others, like Oxalis corniculata var. atropurpurea, have purple. The leaves have inconspicuous stipules at the base of each petiole.

The fruit is a narrow, cylindrical capsule, 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) long, and noteworthy for its explosive discharge of the contained seeds, 1 mm (0.04 in) long. Pollen is about 34 microns in diameter.

Fruit of Oxalis corniculata

Pollen of Oxalis corniculata

Distribution

This species probably comes from southeastern Asia. It was first described by Linnaeus in 1753 using specimens from Italy, and it seems to have been introduced to Italy from the east before 1500. It is now cosmopolitan in its distribution and is regarded as a weed in gardens, agricultural fields, and lawns.

Uses

The leaves of woodsorrel are quite edible, with a tangy taste of lemons. A drink can be made by infusing the leaves in hot water for about 10 minutes, sweetening and then chilling. The entire plant is rich in vitamin C. Any woodsorrel is safe in low dosages, but if eaten in large quantities over a length of time can inhibit calcium absorption by the body.

As a hyperaccumulator of copper, it can be used for phytoremediation. The 1491 Ming Dynasty text, Precious Secrets of the Realm of the King of Xin, describes how to locate underground copper deposits by extracting trace elements of copper from the plant.

Images for kids

• 

  Stems with leaf stalk and side leaf (inconspicuous stipules at the base of each petiole are visible too)

• 

  Trifoliate leaf of Oxalis corniculata

• 

  Matured seed of Oxalis corniculata

• 

  Mature (brown) and immature (white) seeds of Oxalis corniculata

See also

In Spanish: Acedera para niños