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Oxalis glabra is a member of the wood-sorrel family, Oxalidaceae. It is only one of the 800 total species belonging to this family. The plant is commonly known as finger-leaf due to its trifoliate leaf structure. This trifoliate structure can be seen in variations throughout all members of the genus Oxalis. However, the particularly narrow leaflets of the glabra plant look more like fingers rather than a common clover. The plant is native to South Africa and can be found carpeting the ground of woodlands and bushlands.
The growing period can be affected by location, however the plant generally begins to produce flowers in May and can last through to October with an active growth period between April and November. The plant remains dormant throughout the winter months, and can also slip into dormancy during the summer if conditions are too hot. It is one of the fewer species in the genus to propagate with the use of bulbs, bulbils and stolons. The bulbs begin sprouting in the falling temperatures of autumn months and spread underground with a system of lateral stems, facilitating the persistent nature of this species. The bulbs themselves are tiny, measuring only 5-9mm in length. They are ovoid in shape, often with pointed tips and surrounded by a brown papery cover.
Oxalis glabra originates from southern Africa in Cape Province and is now concentrated in the southwestern region of Australia. It can be found in the Darling Scarp from Bunbury to Augusta and inland to Narrogin and Toodyay, as well as in the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplain, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain, and Warren. Bulbs can be easily spread via water, contaminated soil or organism interactions, such as ants. Though spread throughout Western Australia, no seeds from the plant have been found in the region. It will be able to establish itself best in environments that are already disturbed.
Wood-sorrel · Silver Shamrock · Radishroot woodsorrel · Alpine woodsorrel · Oxalis ambigua · Oxalis arenaria · Pink Sorrel · Oxalis aureoflava · Oxalis ausensis · Barrelier's woodsorrel · Oxalis bifida · Red-flower woodsorrel
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Oxalis glabra by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
