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''Oxalis debilis'', the large-flowered pink-sorrel or pink woodsorrel, is a
perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
and herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
in the family Oxalidaceae
The Oxalidaceae, or wood sorrel family, are a small family of five genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs and small trees, with the great majority of the 570 species in the genus ''Oxalis'' (wood sorrels). Members of this family typically have divid ...
. Its original distribution is South America but has become a very cosmopolitan species, occurring in all continents except Antarctica. It can be found in both temperate and tropical areas.
The flowers, leaves and roots are edible. There is concern that the plant should only be consumed in small amounts because it contains oxalic acid
Oxalic acid is an organic acid with the systematic name ethanedioic acid and formula . It is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that forms a colorless solution in water. Its name comes from the fact that early inve ...
that can cause calcium deficiency if eaten in larger amounts. Studies show that this is an exaggerated fear. The leaves have what is considered a zesty lemony flavor.
Description
It is abulb
In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...
ous plant. The fruit is a capsule. The seeds are projected, with an elastic integument. In Europe the plants are sterile and are propagating only by bulbs.
Research on the naturalizing populations in China show the presence of 2 flower morphs, pollen with low viability and polyploidy
Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei ( eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, where each set contain ...
.
Varieties and cultivation
There are two varieties: * ''Oxalis debilis'' var. ''corymbosa'' (DC.) Lourteig – large-flowered pink-sorrel (Synonym : ''O. corymbosa'') * ''Oxalis debilis'' var. ''debilis'' 'Aureoreticulata' ('aureo-reticulata') has attractive variegated leaves with flowers that are pinkish purple. This cultivar is also named ‘Gold Veined Oxalis’ (Yellow Vein Oxalis) with attractive yellow vein foliage. The symptom is associated with the presence of abegomovirus
''Begomovirus'' is a genus of viruses, in the family ''Geminiviridae''. They are plant viruses that as a group have a very wide host range, infecting dicotyledonous plants. Worldwide they are responsible for a considerable amount of economic dam ...
. This virus, designated OxYVV, is transmitted by the whitefly ''Bemisia tabaci
The silverleaf whitefly (''Bemisia tabaci'', also informally referred to as the sweet potato whitefly) is one of several species of whitefly that are currently important agricultural pests. A review in 2011 concluded that the silverleaf whitefly ...
''.
The Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...
advises that it can be a serious weed.
Pests and diseases
''Puccinia oxalidis
''Puccinia oxalidis'' is a fungus species in the genus ''Puccinia''. This species is a causal agent of rust on plants in the genus ''Oxalis'', such as ''Oxalis articulata''. The disease appears as yellow dots on the reverse of the leaves. The aec ...
'' is a fungus species in the genus Puccinia. This species is a causal agent of rust on plants in the genus ''Oxalis''.
See also
*List of the vascular plants of Britain and Ireland 6
''This page covers a group of dicotyledon families (Lauraceae to Salicaceae). For the background to this list see parent article List of the vascular plants of Britain and Ireland.''
Status key: ''*'' indicates an introduced species and ''e'' indi ...
* List of vascular plants of Norfolk Island
References
* . W. H. A. von Humboldt et al., Nov. gen. sp. 5:183 olio 5:236 uarto 1822External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15346913 debilis Plants described in 1822 Flora of Southern America