Oxalis deppei
| Oxalis deppei | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 0.3' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Oxalis deppei (common name: iron cross plant)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in late spring or early summer. Our plants have never produced seed.
Division in autumn, harvest the bulbs and replant in the spring. They usually increase very freely.
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, preferring a sandy soil in a warm dry position[1][2][3]. It dislikes dry or heavy soils[3]. Dislikes lime[3]. Prefers a southerly aspect[3].
This species is only hardy outdoors in the milder areas of Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c or perhaps a bit lower if the soil is very well-drained. The bulbs are easily harvested in late autumn, however, and can be stored overwinter in a cool frost free place, replanting them in the spring[K]. In milder winter areas a good mulch is usually sufficient to see the bulbs through the winter and they will then normally be more productive of leaves and flowers in the following year. Plants have survived the winter for several years without a mulch on our trial grounds in Cornwall[K].
A very ornamental plant, flowering freely all summer[1][K]. It was formerly cultivated in Mexico for its edible tuber[4] (this may be a mistaken entry that should have referred to O. tuberosa. Whilst the root of this plant is edible it is neither productive nor very flavourful. The leaves and the flowers are far superior[K]).
This species is closely related to and probably part of O. tetraphylla[5], differing only in its sessile bulbils and truncate leaves[6].
Range: Southern N. America - Mexico. Occasionally established in Europe.
Edibility: Leaves and flowers - raw or cooked[7][3][8]. A delicious lemony flavour, the leaves are tender and fairly free of fibres even when they get older[K]. Both the leaves and the flowers make a very refreshing and thirst-quenching munch in the garden, they also make an excellent flavouring in salads[K]. The leaves are available from June to October and the flowers from July to October, or even later in mild autumns[K]. Use in moderation, see notes at top of sheet.
Root - raw or cooked[1][7][2][3][8]. The roots are up to 10cm long and 3cm wide at the top, they are tender and juicy but usually insipid[K]. Occasionally the root has a pleasant acid flavour, we have yet to find out what causes the difference[K].
Pollinators: Insects
Notes: This is a beauty for the edible flower garden.
We can supply in spring.
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The leaves contain oxalic acid, which gives them their sharp flavour. Perfectly all right in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since oxalic acid can bind up the body's supply of calcium leading to nutritional deficiency. Th
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Vilmorin-Andrieux. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Thompson, Robert. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son, 1878.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.