Flowers ''Oxalis articulata'', known as pink-sorrel, pink wood sorrel, windowbox wood-sorrel, Chari amilo (Nepal), sourgrass, Netho (khatta) saag (India) is a perennial plant species in the genus ''

Oxalis ''Oxalis'' ( (American English) or (British English)) is a large genus of flowering plants in the wood-sorrel family Oxalidaceae, comprising over 550 species. The genus occurs throughout most of the world, except for the Polar region, polar are ...

'' native to temperate South America. It has been introduced in Europe in gardens and is now naturalized in these areas. The plant is susceptible to rust (disease due to the fungus '' Puccinia oxalidis''). File:Oxalis arborea1.jpg, ''O. articulata'' f. ''crassipes'' File:Oxalis articulata rubra0.jpg, ''O. articulata'' ssp. ''rubra''

Description

As the name would imply, this species of ''Oxalis'' typically has pink to violet flowers with petals 10–15 mm long. This species has "Plants arising from a thick, woody, irregularly nodulate-segmented rhizome often with persistent, thickened, and lignescent petiole bases; flowers 3–12 in umbelliform cymes, less commonly in irregular cymes". The plant is a perennial and typically grows up to 45 cm tall and 2 cm in diameter. It spreads by rhizomes (up to 15 cm) to form colonies. It is hermaphrodite and also infrequently produces seeds in long, cylindrical capsules. File:Oxalis articulata (pink woodsorrel).jpg File:Oxalis articulata (pink woodsorrel 02).jpg

Uses

''Oxalis articulata'' has a large amount of ascorbic acid and is eaten as a vegetable by inhabitants of Jharkhand, India. Oxalis articulata can be used as

ground cover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought. In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as t ...

in green zones to inhibit the growth of weeds in such areas and alleviate the need for herbicide. This is due to the allelopathic leachates in the leaves and exudates from the roots of living Oxalis plants which display significant inhibitory activities on the growth of other plants. Oxalate extracts from the leaves have been shown to exhibit anti-fungal properties.

Ornamental use

''Oxalis articulata'' is used as an ornamental in Turkey and China. The plant is not drought tolerant and soil should be kept moist. It grows best in acid or light soils. ''Oxalis articulata'' is more competitive than other species in this family, and can tolerate plant beds which are loosely populated with other greenery. However, it thrives in disturbed ground. Though it is hardy, it grows best in warmer areas. It flowers continuously from throughout the warmer months and goes dormant at first frost. Out of the sun, the flowers roll up into a tube-like shape.

Control

It is regarded as a weed in many places, including South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria. As it spreads through rhizomes, care should be taken when removing to avoid leaving behind bulbs. Digging the bulbs out while soil is moist when removing can help this process.

References

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