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Oxalis perennans

Yellow Wood-sorrel

Erect or creeping green perennial herb. Taproot stout, also rooting at nodes.

Additional information

  • FamilyOxalidaceae
  • StoreyLower storey
  • Sizestems to 30 cm long
  • Plant groupingHerbs & Groundcovers <1m
  • LeavesLeaves along flowering stems, divided into 3 wedge-shaped leaflets 2-15 mm long, downy below or hairy midrib, notched to 2/3 length, lobes 2-12 mm apart, stalks 1-4 cm
  • Flower colourYellow
  • Flowering timeAll year
  • Flowers1-6 flowers in leaf axils on erect stalks to 90 mm long. Fruit capsules long and narrow, cylindrical, 8-30 mm x 2.5-5 mm.
  • Bird attractingNo
  • Butterfly attractingNo
  • Frog habitatNo
  • Growing conditionsWidespread in heavy soils through most plant communities. Full sun, semi to dappled shade.
  • Garden useA creeping species that is fine planted in bushland gardens but may become weedy in ornamental gardens.
  • Commercially availableNever
  • Conservation statusWidespread within the Shire
  • Aboriginal Use Food - tubers
  • Related speciesDistinguish from Oxalis exilis by larger flowers, leaves and capsules. Local form has broader lobes with shallower notches. O. exilis has a poorly developed taproot and is seldom erect. Rounded tips of leaflet lobes are closer together. Both similar.
Photographer/s: 1-3 Marilyn Bull ©; 4 Swee Oon ©

Plant Communities

  • 30 Swamp Gum Swampy Riparian Woodland (EVC 83)
  • 44 Grassy Wetland Complex (EVC 125)
  • 12 Manna Gum Riparian Forest - Dandenongs (EVC 18)
  • 37 Yarra Gum Grassy Woodland (EVC 175)
  • 25 Long-leaf Box Grassy Dry Forest - Southern Dandenongs (EVC 22)
  • 38 Yellow Box Valley Grassy Forest – Middle Yarra (EVC 47)
  • 26 Red Stringybark Grassy Dry Forest - Middle Yarra (EVC 22)
  • 08 Mountain Grey Gum Damp Forest – Dandenongs (EVC 29)
  • 27 Red Stringybark Grassy Dry Forest - Dandenongs (EVC 22)
  • 39 Sedge Wetland Complex (EVC 136)
  • 11 Manna Gum Riparian Forest - Central Highlands (EVC 18)
  • 13 Manna Gum Riparian Forest - Upper Yarra (EVC 18)
  • 42 Yellow Box Valley Grassy Forest - Christmas Hills (EVC 47)
  • 19 Long-leaf Box Herb-rich Foothill Forest (EVC 23)
  • 34 Manna Gum Floodplain Riparian Woodland (EVC 56)
  • 18 Messmate Shrubby Foothill Forest - Dandenongs (EVC 45)
  • 40 Snow Gum Grassy Woodland (EVC 175/37)
  • 35 Floodplain Wetland Complex (EVC 172)
  • 28 Red Box Grassy Dry Forest - Christmas Hills (EVC 22)
  • 21 Broad-leaf Peppermint Heathy Dry Forest (EVC 20)
  • 20 Messmate Lowland Forest (EVC 16)
  • 07 Mountain Grey Gum Damp Forest - Central Highlands (EVC 29)
  • 06 Mountain Ash Wet Forest - Dandenongs (EVC 30)
  • 36 Scented Paperbark Riparian Thicket – Central Highlands (EVC 59)
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