Oxalis stricta
| Oxalis stricta | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Oxalis stricta (common name: yellow wood sorrel)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
If you have enough seed it can be sown in situ during the spring.
Cultivation: Easily grown in a sandy soil in a warm dry position[1].
Range: Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Florida and Texas. E. Asia. A rare introduction in Britain.
Habitat: Dry open soils[2]. Prefers impoverished soils, growing in abandoned fields, roadsides etc[3].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[4][5][6]. A nice acid flavour[3], the leaves can also be chewed as a thirst quencher[7]. Use in moderation, see notes at top of sheet,
Flowers - raw[6][8][7]. Added to salads.
Young seedpods - raw[7].
Root[6][8][7]. No further details.
A lemon-flavoured drink is made from the leaves[3].
Medicinal: An infusion of the plant has been used in the treatment of fevers, stomach cramps and nausea[9]. A poultice of the plant has been used to treat swellings[9].
Usage: A yellow to orange dye can be obtained by boiling up the whole plant[9].
Pollinators: Insects
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
Also Known As: O. dillenii.
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.