''Oxalis incarnata'' is a species of flowering plant in the
woodsorrel family known by the common names pale pink-sorrel
and crimson woodsorrel.
It is native to southern Africa, but it can be found on other continents where it is an
introduced species
An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there ...
, often the descendant of garden escapees. It is grown and kept as an
ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...
. This is a perennial herb growing from a system of
rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
s and
bulb
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 ...
s. The branching, hairless stem grows to nearly 30 centimeters in maximum length. There may be small
bulb
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 ...
lets located along the stem above ground. The leaves are borne on long
petioles in erect bunches, each leaf made up of three leaflets. The solitary flower arises on a
peduncle. Each flower has five white to light pink petals.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7115065
incarnata
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus