Oxalis brasiliensis Lodd., G. Lodd. & W. Lodd. ex Hildebr.

Brazilian Wood Sorrel

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Brazilian Wood Sorrel is an introduced herbaceous perennial. First reported from Alabama in 2013, this species has been documented in several additional counties. It is native to Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. It Alabama in is found on roadsides, in vacant lots, in lawns, and in cemeteries. It is a perennial from a small bulb or cluster of bulbs. The plants are acaulescent (without an above ground leafy stem) with the leaves arising directly from the bulbs. The leaves lack oxalate deposits, which appear as small circular dots on the surface of the leaf. The leaves are composed of three heart-shaped leaflets. Flowers are held above the leaves on scapes bearing a small leaf-like bract. Flowers are produced solitary or in cymes. Each inflorescence contains 1-3 flowers. Each flower has five deep rose-pink petals. The petals have lines of darker pink radiating from the center of the flower. The fruit is a capsule. Brazilian Wood Sorrel reproduces asexually by forming small plantlets from a short stem that develops at the bract on the flowering scape. It also produces rather long stolons beneath the leaf litter that develop bulbs at their apex. Brazilian Wood Sorrel is often available in the ornamental trade. Based on observations of Alabama populations, it has the potential to be very weedy and perhaps invasive.--A. Diamond

This species was first reported new to Alabama in 2013 by Horne, Barger, & Nesom. See reference below.

Not Native

Horne, H.E., T.W. Barger, and G.L. Nesom. 2013. Two South American species of Oxalis (Oxalidaceae) naturalized in Alabama and the USA, first report. Phytoneuron 2013-54: 1–7.