Image: Oxalis pes-caprae flower5 (14706879736)

Description: Introduced, cool-season, perennial herb, with a fleshy white rhizome and 2-3 cm long,brown bulbs; bulbils are formed on a white fleshy rhizome and in axils of basal leaves. Vegetative parts die off during summer and re-shoot again in autumn. Aerial stems are absent or greatly reduced. Leaves are trifoliolate; leaflets are heart-shaped and 1-3 cm across, often with dark blotches. Yellow flowers occur in groups of 3-25 at the tips of stems that arise from the base of the plant. Sepals 5. Petals 5 and fused. Produces vegetative shoots in autumn and most flowering is in late winter and spring. No fruit are produced in Australia. A native of South Africa, it was introduced as a garden ornamental. It occurs where annual rainfall is greater than 320 mm per annum and colonises disturbed soils with moderate to high fertility & good moisture holding capacity. Spread by tuberous bulbs, bulbils and rhizomes. Disturbance of a colony can result in massive recruitment of new plants. Heavy infestations can be as dense as 3000 plants per square metre. A garden escape, it is now a weed of pastures, crops and orchards where it is extremely difficult to control once established. Competitive in pastures from autumn-spring, especially in winter rainfall annual pastures. It has been know to cause oxalate poisoning in sheep. Plants can be controlled by digging and removing bulbs or repeated use of herbicides.
Title: Oxalis pes-caprae flower5 (14706879736)
Credit: Oxalis pes-caprae flower5
Author: Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
License: CC BY 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes