GRAY-GREEN WOOD SORREL
File Size: 130 KB
 
Oxalis dillenii  L.
Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas
Perennial
Height: 2-12 inches
Family: Oxalidaceae - Oxalis Family
Flowering Period:   April, May, June, September
Stems: Ascending or decumbent, tufted, branched at base, usually densely pubescent with simple hairs.
Leaves: Alternate, stalked, palmately 3-foliolate; leaflets heart-shaped, 1/5 to 3/5 inch long, nearly as wide, gray-green, pubescent; margins entire; folding together at night; stipules present.
Inflorescences: Umbels, 1-9-flowered, terminal, on stalks that extend above leaves.
Flowers: 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide; sepals 5, oblong, often overlapping; petals 5, yellow, sometimes orange at bases; stamens 10, of 2 lengths.
Fruits: Capsules, elongate, 1/2 to 1 inch long, gray-pubescent; seeds ovate to elliptic, prominently transversely ridged with white markings, orangish brown.
Habitat: Open woods, prairie ravines, waste areas, gardens, lawns, and disturbed sites.
Distribution: East 4/5 of Kansas.
Uses: The leaves, flowers, and bulbs can be eaten fresh or cooked. However, the fresh leaves and stems contain oxalic acid and can cause poisoning if consumed in large quantities. Wood sorrel contains significant amounts of vitamin A.
Comments: Quail, prairie chickens, and turkeys eat the seeds. Blooms April - June and sometimes again in September.

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