OXALIS

Oxalis L. Sp. Pl. ed.1: 433. 1753; Gen. Pl. 5: 198. 1754; Edgew. & Hook. f. in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 1: 435. 1874; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 11:2; Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras.org vol. 12; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org

Annual or perennial herbs, usually with tubers, bulbs or rhizomes. Stem erect, creeping or absent. Leaves basal or cauline, digitately compound with 3 sessile leaflets showing sleep movements, long-petioled. Stipules usually absent or very small, adnate to petioles. Inflorescences solitary, cymose or umbellate; peduncle long with 2 small bracts at apex. Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual, 5-merous, hypogynous. Sepals 5, free, imbricate. Petals 5, yellow, red, pink or white, free, sometimes basally slightly connate, twisted in bud. Stamens 10, filaments connate at base (monoadelphous), 5 long, 5 short alternating with one another; all stamens fertile. Pistil 1, carpels 5, syncarpous; ovary superior, 5-locular, 2 or more ovules per loculus, axile placentation; styles 5, more or less united; stigmas capitate. Capsule ovoid or cylindric, 5-angled, loculicidally dehiscent by 5 valves. Seeds small, 2-many in each cell; with an outer fleshy testa which bursts elastically.

566 species

Oxalis corniculata

Oxalis corniculata L., Sp. Pl. ed.1: 435. 1753; Gen. Pl. 5: 198. 1754; Edgew. & Hook. f. in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 1: 436. 1874; Collett, Fl. Siml. ed. 2: 71. 1921(Reprint 1983); Maheshwari, Illustr. Fl. Delhi f. 41. 1966; Dhaliwal & Sharma, Fl. Kullu Dist. 180. 1999; Kaur & Sharma, Fl. Sirmaur 186. 2004; Singh & Sharma, Fl. Chamba Dist. 211. 2006; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 11:3; Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras.org vol. 12.

Annual or short-lived perennial herbs; stem creeping or ascending, up to 50 cm long, rooting at nodes, pubescent. Leaves alternate; petiole 2-5 cm long, pubescent; lamina digitately 3-foliate, leaflets 3-16 mm x 8-20 mm, subsessile to sessile, obcordate, cuneate or rounded at base, apex deeply notched, variably pilose-tomentose on both surfaces. Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual, 5-merous, hypogynous, solitary or in 2-5(-7)-flowered axillary cymose umbels on up to 10 cm long pubescent peduncle; pedicels 5-20 mm long, pubescent, deflexed or horizontal in fruit; peduncle with 3-5 bracts, bracts 3-4 mm x 0.5 mm, linear-lanceolate. Sepals 5, free, linear-lanceolate, 3.5-4 mm x 1-1.3 mm, appressed hairy without. Petals 5, free, yellow, 6-8 mm x 3-4 mm, oblong-obovate. Stamens 10, filaments connate at base (monoadelphous), stamens with long and short filaments alternating with one another; 5 longer stamens with ca. 3.5 mm long filaments and shorter with ca. 2.5 mm long filaments, sparingly hairy in upper half; all stamens fertile. Carpels 5, syncarpous; ovary ca. 1.2 mm long, 5-locular, many ovules per loculus, axile placentation; styles 5, ca. 2.5 mm long; stigmas capitate. Capsules 1.5-2.5 cm x 2-3 mm, long, cylindric, 5-sided, pubescent, loculicidally dehiscent by 5 valves. Seeds small, many per locule, ca. 1.5 mm x 1 mm, ovoid-oblong, transversely ridged, brown to brownish red.

Flowering and Fruiting: March to December
Common Names: Creeping Wood Sorrel, Creeping Oxalis, Khatti Buti (Hindi)