Consulta Plantas

Care of the plant Oxalis bowiei or Bowie's wood-sorrel

The genus Oxalis, family Oxalidaceae, comprises 600 species of herbaceous plants native to temperate and warm regions of almost all continents. Some species are: Oxalis bowiei, Oxalis articulata, Oxalis pes-caprae, Oxalis triangularis, Oxalis purpurea, Oxalis flava, Oxalis acetosella, Oxalis corniculata, Oxalis gigantea, Oxalis rosea.

Common names: Bowie's wood-sorrel, Red-flower woodsorrel, Cape shamrock. This species is native to South Africa.

They are perennial herbaceous plants that reach 30 cm (11.8") in height. Fleshy trifoliate leaves with erect peduncles and intense green color sprout from the tubers. The showy flowers appear in groups above the leaves; they can be purple or pink in color. They can bloom from fall to spring; in summer they go to rest.

Bowie's wood-sorrel is used in pots as indoor, greenhouse or terrace plants, in light undergrowths and to create colored spots on lawns.

Oxalis bowiei prefers a very bright or full sun exposure but also grows in light shade. It resists occasional frosts.

The soil can be a mixture, in the same proportions, of leaf mulch, peat and coarse sand. Planting is done in autumn.

Do not water in summer because it comes to rest. The rest of the year Cape shamrock needs regular watering, waiting for the substrate surface to dry.

Fertilize 3 times with mineral fertilizer: once in autumn, once in winter and again in spring.

Red-flower woodsorrel does not need pruning but its expansion in the garden must be controlled so that it's not invasive.

Oxalis bowiei is a resistant plant to the usual pests and diseases.

Cape shamrock is propagated by division of the rhizome in early spring.

Images of the plant Oxalis bowiei or Bowie's wood-sorrel