Consulta Plantas

Care of the plant Oxalis flava or Yellow 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 flava, Oxalis corniculata, Oxalis bowiei, Oxalis articulata, Oxalis pes-caprae, Oxalis triangularis, Oxalis purpurea, Oxalis acetosella, Oxalis gigantea, Oxalis rosea.

Common names: Yellow sorrel, Narrow finger-leaved Cape Wood-sorrel, Yellow Wood Sorrel, Yellow Oxalis, Soursob. This species is native to southern Cape, South Africa.

They are small herbaceous plants with a short, creeping stem with oval bulbs. The leaves are palmate, greyish green in color, fleshy and bent at the central axis and ending in a point. The attractive flowers can be yellow, white, pink, lilac, or purple.

Yellow sorrel is used in pots, on rockeries and on dry slopes.

Oxalis flava grows in full sun or light shade exposures and in hot climates. It does not resist temperatures below 5 ºC (41 ºF).

Narrow finger-leaved Cape Wood-sorrel prefers sandy soils with a little organic matter, for which a commercial preparation for cacti and succulents or a well-drained loam substrate can be used.

Water moderately, waiting until the substrate has completely dried.

Fertilize with mineral cactus fertilizer (or low nitrogen) once in spring and again in summer.

Yellow Wood Sorrel does not need pruning but its expansion must be monitored so that it does not become invasive.

Oxalis flava is quite resistant to the usual pests and diseases.

Yellow Oxalis is propagated from seeds sown in spring; They can be obtained from the fruits in capsule form.

Images of the plant Oxalis flava or Yellow sorrel