''Oxalis corniculata'', the creeping woodsorrel, procumbent yellow sorrel or sleeping beauty, is a somewhat delicate-appearing, low-growing herbaceous

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...

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 ...

. It resembles the common yellow woodsorrel, ''

Oxalis stricta ''Oxalis stricta'', called the common yellow woodsorrel (or simply yellow woodsorrel), common yellow oxalis, upright yellow-sorrel, lemon clover, or more ambiguously and informally "sourgrass", "sheep weed", or "pickle plant", is a herbaceous pla ...

''.

Description

It has a narrow, creeping stem that readily roots at the

node In general, a node is a localized swelling (a "knot") or a point of intersection (a vertex). Node may refer to: In mathematics * Vertex (graph theory), a vertex in a mathematical graph *Vertex (geometry), a point where two or more curves, lines ...

s. The trifoliate leaves are subdivided into three rounded leaflets and resemble a

clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

in shape. Some varieties have green leaves, while others, like ''Oxalis corniculata'' var. ''atropurpurea'', have purple. The leaves have inconspicuous

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

s at the base of each petiole. The flowers are small and yellow, with some having round-edged petals and others possessing sharp ends. The flowers close when direct sun is not hitting the plant, hence the name "sleeping beauty". Some specimen can have a single flower while others can have over 20. O-Corniculata-photo 2019-05-24 14-20-52

The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is a narrow, cylindrical capsule, long, and noteworthy for its explosive discharge of the contained seeds, long. Pollen is about 34 microns in diameter.

Distribution

This species probably comes from southeastern Asia. It was first described by

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in 1753 using specimens from

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and it seems to have been introduced to Italy from the east before 1500. It is now

cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

in its distribution and is regarded as a

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

s,Hackney, P. 1992. ''Stewart & Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland.'' Institute of Irish Studies, Queen's University of Belfast. agricultural fields, and

lawn A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. ...

s.UC Davis IPM
/ref>

Uses

The leaves of woodsorrel are quite edible, with a tangy taste of

lemons The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culina ...

. A drink can be made by infusing the leaves in hot water for about 10 minutes, sweetening and then chilling.Lee Allen Peterson, ''Edible Wild Plants'', Houghton Mifflin Company, New York City (1977), p. 104. The entire plant is rich in

vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) ...

. Any woodsorrel is safe in low dosages, but if eaten in large quantities over a length of time can inhibit

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar t ...

absorption by the body. As a hyperaccumulator of copper, it can be used for

phytoremediation Phytoremediation technologies use living plants to clean up soil, air and water contaminated with hazardous contaminants. It is defined as "the use of green plants and the associated microorganisms, along with proper soil amendments and agronom ...

. The 1491 Ming Dynasty text, ''Precious Secrets of the Realm of the King of Xin'', describes how to locate underground copper deposits by extracting trace elements of copper from the plant.

References

External links

QuattrofoliumJepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
{{Authority control corniculata Oxalidales of Australia Flora of Norfolk Island Cosmopolitan species Flora of Nepal Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Malta