There are more than 200 species of Oxalis in South Africa and 270 varieties and probably many new species as well. The only handbook on the Southern African species, by Salter, is almost sixty years old and out of print so there are many challenges in identifying them. Cape Plants, a conspectus of the Cape flora of South Africa by Peter Goldblatt and John Manning lists 118 in the Cape Floral Kingdom but there is only a brief botanical description, location sometimes with habitat information, and time of bloom in this book.
South African species H-K are found on this wiki page.
South African Oxalis A-B - South African Oxalis C - South African Oxalis D-E - South African Oxalis F-G - South African Oxalis L-M - South African Oxalis N-O - South African Oxalis P - South African Oxalis R-S - South African Oxalis T-Z - South American Oxalis – Miscellaneous Oxalis - Oxalis index
Oxalis haedulipes is a yellow flowering oxalis resembling Oxalis pes-caprae, although it is typically smaller in stature and flower size. The best diagnostic difference between these two species are the bulbs, those of O. pes-caprae being pale brown, with indistinct longitudinal ridges. O. haedulipes has a greyish bulb with conspicuous longitudinal ridges, and always has a stem. See also O. copiosa for more information on these look-alikes. It is found in the Kalahari, from about Keimoes, and as far east as Kimberley. The last photo show O. haedulipes in habitat growing among rocks, about 60km east of Upington. Photos by Christiaan van Schalkwyk.
Most Oxalis form new bulbs each year, often deeper than the previous year’s bulb. These photos show the bulbs of Oxalis haedulipes, four years after its last transplant. In the first picture the bulbs and old bulb scales can be seen in the soil. Note also the secondary bulbs formed away from the orriginal bulb. In the second and third photos a set of bulb and scales were removed, and separated, with the bulb in the left of the pictures. The last photo is a close-up showing the greyish colour and distinct longitudinal ridges characteristic of this species. These photos by Christiaan van Schalkwyk, with the bulbs on a 1 cm. grid.
Oxalis helicoides is a caulescent species with a twisted, spiraling stem (resembling a helix). Known from about Springbok, Kamieskroon and Garies. A white form (var. alba) has also been described. This is truly a beautiful species.
Photos by Christiaan van Schalkwyk.
Oxalis hirta is a fall blooming South African species with grey-green trifoliolate leaves and mauve, magenta, or white flowers. It grows on flats and slopes in the north and southwest Cape. This one has bright pink flowers. Photos 1-3 by Mary Sue Ittner of this species and the bulbs on a grid of 1 cm squares. Photo 4 was taken by Nhu Nguyen from the UC Botanical Garden. The photo shows what this species probably looks like in habitat, attributable to the wonderful landscaping of the South African section at the Garden.
The first two photos are from Bill Dijk including one that is so floriferous that you can't see the leaves. The third photo furnished by Andrew Broome shows a salmon colored form. The fourth photo from Mary Sue Ittner is of a form with mauve flowers.
Oxalis hirta 'Gothenburg' is a robust fall bloomer with pink flowers. I don't know the history of the cultivar but it seems to benefit from a deep pot as I never got it to bloom when planted in a shallower one. It is truly dazzling as so many of the flowers open. Photos below by Bob Rutemoeller and Mary Sue Ittner. The third photo of the cultivar next to another form shows how much finer and a little more gray the leaves are of the cultivar pictured on the right. It is also much taller. The final photo shows the enormous bulbs on a grid of 1 cm. squares.
Oxalis imbricata is described as having trifoliolate hairy leaves and white flowers with a greenish tube by at least one source. This is a species from both the Western and Eastern Cape. The form that most of us are growing has pink flowers. Photo by Mary Sue Ittner
Oxalis inaequalis First bloomed February 2005. Bulbs from Telos. This species has 3 succulent leaflets and is one-flowered, with short yellow to coppery-rose flowers with a yellow tube. The sepals are grossly unequal in size, giving rise to its latin name. It often forms numerous (up to 400) axial bulbils per plant. Photos by Liz Waterman and Christiaan van Schalkwyk.
Oxalis incarnata This plant started blooming in October in the Northern hemisphere and bloomed through May in Northern California. In Southern California if keep continuously wet it is evergreen. It seems to prefer shade when temperatures are warm. The general consensus is that this is the correct name. It is considered to be potentially weedy and produces bublils in the leaf axis. It can be a nice hanging basket specimen however. Photos by Bob Rutemoeller.
Oxalis inconspicua is a very small, low growing and white flowering Oxalis. It flowers in midwinter, and the slightly inflated tube of the corolla, as seen in the second picture, is a definite character of this species (shared only with O. purpurea). Photos by Christiaan van Schalkwyk.
Oxalis karooica does not appear to be a valid name. Bulbs grown under this name are probably Oxalis gracilis.
South African Oxalis A-B - South African Oxalis C - South African Oxalis D-E - South African Oxalis F-G - South African Oxalis L-M - South African Oxalis N-O - South African Oxalis P - South African Oxalis R-S - South African Oxalis T-Z - South American Oxalis – Miscellaneous Oxalis - Oxalis index