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Oxalis versicolor
Oxalis versicolor, the candy cane sorrel, is a small bulbous perennial from the Western Cape of South Africa, forming a low mound of clover-like leaves with white flowers edged in scarlet. It thrives in full sun, which is needed to open its flowers, and is best kept dry in winter.
Oxalis versicolor or candy cane sorrel is a species of flowering plant in the family Oxalidaceae found in South Africa.
A bulbous perennial, it grows to 8–15 cm (3.1–5.9 in) forming a mound of fresh green leaves, each leaf composed of three elongated leaflets. In late summer and autumn, narrow white tubular buds form at the tip of slender stems. A curved scarlet edging to each petal gives the appearance of a candy cane. The flowers open in full sunlight, but remain furled at other times.
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 versicolor 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.
