Oxalis exilis
| Oxalis exilis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 0.2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Oxalis exilis (common name: least yellow sorrel)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame. This plant does not need any encouragement.
Cultivation: A very easily grown plant, succeeding in a sandy soil in a warm dry position[1]. It prefers dry open habitats[2].
Spreading rapidly by seed and underground bulbils, this species can quickly become a nuisance, it is a common weed of pot plants in nurseries[3].
Range: New Zealand and Tasmania.
Habitat: Arable land and waste places, it is a common garden weed[4][5] where it tends to become especially troublesome in pots of plants growing in greenhouses etc[3].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[6][7][8][9]. Added to salads, cooked as a potherb with other milder flavoured greens or used to give a sour flavour to other foods[10]. The leaves are available all year round unless the winter is very cold, they have a pleasantly sour taste[11], but are very small and fiddly to harvest[K]. The leaves contain about 86% water, 2.3% protein, 0.8% fat, 8.2% carbohydrate, 150mg calcium, 78mg phosphorus, 8mg iron, 0.6mg niacin, 78mg vitamin C, 6050µg beta carotene[12]. The leaves contain between 7 - 12% oxalate[13]. Use in moderation, see notes at top of sheet,
Flowers - raw. A nice acid flavour and a pleasant addition to the salad bowl[K].
Medicinal: The whole plant is anthelmintic, antiphlogistic, astringent, depurative, diuretic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, lithontripic, stomachic and styptic[14][15][13][16]. It is used in the treatment of influenza, fever, urinary tract infections, enteritis, diarrhoea, traumatic injuries, sprains and poisonous snake bites[14]. An infusion can be used as a wash to rid children of hookworms[17]. The plant is a good source of vitamin C and is used as an antiscorbutic in the treatment of scurvy[16].
The leaves are used as an antidote to poisoning by the seeds of Datura spp, arsenic and mercury[13].
The leaf juice is applied to insect bites, burns and skin eruptions[13]. It has an antibacterial activity[13].
Pollinators: Insects, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy 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
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Chakravarty, Hiralal. The Plant Wealth of Iraq. 1976.
- ↑ Crowe, Andrew. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.