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Oxalis smalliana
Also called Oregon Oxalis, Redwood Sorrel, Redwood Woodsorrel
Oregon wood sorrel is a low, spreading perennial from the moist shade of coast redwood forests in California and Oregon, grown as a shade groundcover. It spreads by scaly rhizomes and needs cool, shaded, moist conditions to thrive.
Oxalis smalliana, commonly known as redwood sorrel or California wood sorrel, is a species of the wood sorrel family, Oxalidaceae, in the genus Oxalis native to moist coast redwood forests of western North America from Monterey County, California to Curry County, Oregon.
The name O. smalliana was proposed over a century ago to describe a primarily Californian wood sorrel species distinguishable from the O. oregana type by flower size and color, but recognition of the taxon faded over time. A 2022 study by Brinegar provided substantial genetic, morphological, and phenological support for its reinstatement as a separate species from Oxalis oregana.
Oxalis smalliana has a southern distribution ranging from Monterey County, California to Curry County, Oregon. It grows primarily in the understory of coast redwood forests and other moist, shaded environments. In northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the Klamath Range, its range overlaps with O. oregana, with both species sometimes found growing together in sympatric populations.
Like O. oregana, the leaves of O. smalliana are edible but contain oxalic acid, which is mildly toxic in large quantities. They are safe to eat in small amounts for those with no oxalate-related conditions.
Wood-sorrel · Silver Shamrock · Barrelier's woodsorrel · Creeping woodsorrel · Scurvygrass · Crimson woodsorrel · Broadleaf woodsorrel · Nieuwoudtville Sorrel · Blackspot Sorrel · Mountain woodsorrel · Redwood-sorrel · Bermuda buttercup
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Oxalis smalliana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
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.
