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Comments are encouraged and appreciated. We are amateur botanist, and we do make mistakes sometimes with our identifications. We strive to make this a good identifying resource. All comments are moderated by me and may take several days to appear. This is due to the high number of inappropriate comments that have nothing to do with this subject.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Great Yellow Wood Sorrel (Oxalis grandis)


Showy, colonial herbacious perennial from stout rhizomes; to 39" tall. Leaves are alternate, trifoliote with shamrock-like leaflets each 1-2.5" wide, edged with a maroon line; like typical Oxalis, but much larger. Flowers usually extend above the leaves, are yellow, 5 sepals and petals with traces of red in the center. 

Bloom Time: May - June.

Where found: Rich woods, East of the Mississippi River south of the Great Lakes to Georgia. In TN from the Cumberland Plateau eastward. Occasional. 


Note: Seven species of Oxalis are found in TN. The genus name Oxalis is from the Greek oxys for "sharp or sour", in reference to the flavor of the leaves, which contain sour-tasking oxalic acid. Plants of this genus have leaf blades divided into 3 leaflets, each notched and heart-shaped, forming a shamrock. The leaflets fold down at times, especially at night, as if protecting the plant. 


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