Oxalis crassipes (Pink Wood-Sorel) - An evergreen tuft-forming woody rhizomatous species (not from a bulb or corm) reaching to 10 inches tall and slowly spreading to about 18 inches wide with decorative trifoliate clover-like leaves. In late winter in California gardens (later in cooler climates) emerge, just above the foliage, a profusion of small pink flowers with a dark magenta pink eye. Flowering continues strongly until early summer with some rebloom in the cooler fall - 'Alba', the white form we also grow seems to bloom right through summer.
Can grow in full coastal sun but looks better in morning sun to light shade and give regular to occasional irrigation. Hardy as a dormant plant to below 0 °F and useful to at least USDA Zone 6 and with some protection down into USDA Zone 5. For us it is evergreen until frosted back. There is a tendency to lump all Oxalis together, but this species has never become pesky in our garden and is a favorite plant here and in the southeast. It is easy to split and divide clumps if they become too big at any time of the year.
Oxalis crassipes is native to Argentina and Brazil. One of our favorite writers on bulbs is Scott Ogden who in his Garden Bulbs for the South notes this plant to be "a tough thrifty native of the Argentine pampas, O. crassipes often returns to bloom in fall, persisting through the winter on sheltered sites. This is an invaluable plant for Southern gardens, a prime choice for edging beds or pathways. Its lightly felted, cloverlike leaves make handsome mounds even when not it bloom."
The name for the genus is that of Linnaeus from the Greek words 'oxus' (sometimes spelled 'oxys'or 'oxis') meaning "sour" or "acid", which he used when describing Oxalis acetosella. The specific epithet is from the Latins word 'crass' meaning "solid", "thick", "fat" or "dense", the connecting vowel 'i' and 'pes' meaning "foot", likely in reference to the woody rhizome. An interesting early name for Wood-sorrel is Lujula, which was thought to be a corruption of the word Allelujah (Hallelujah) or "praise the lord" and so named for this plant's many virtues with leaves of the Trefoil, the taste of Sorrel (a Dock or Rumex) and flowers like a Geranium. Of course as a kid we just called them all sourgrass! Most recent treatment of the this species has lumped it with Oxalis articulata as Oxalis articulata forma crassipes (or O. articulata ssp. rubra forma crassipes) but we continue to list it just as Oxalis crassipes as this is the name most commonly used. Our thanks to garden designer Dan Tyson for encouraging us to grow this great little plant which we have grown from 2014 until 2025.
The information about Oxalis crassipes that is displayed on this web page is based on research conducted in our nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We will also include observations made about this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We also incorporate comments that we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they share cultural information that aids others growing this plant.
Please note that after 46 years in business, San Marcos Growers will be discontinuing nursery operations by the end of 2025 and the property will be developed for affordable housing.
|