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 F-G are found on this wiki page.
South African Oxalis A-B - South African Oxalis C - South African Oxalis D-E - South African Oxalis H-K - 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 fabaefolia is a species with a number of synonyms, Oxalis asinina Jacq., Oxalis crispa Jacq. and Oxalis fabaefolia Jacq. var. crispa (Jacq.) Sond. In his doctorate K.C. Oberlander (2009, pages 174-202) (also to be published in South African Journal of Botany) showed that morphological and molecular data place Oxalis fabaefolia strongly within the Oxalis flava species group, and thus proposed that Oxalis fabaefolia should be considered as a variety of Oxalis flava, Oxalis flava var. fabaefolia.
Plants sometimes called Oxalis namaquana are really Oxalis fabaefolia. The leaflets of O. fabaefolia can be rather broad and have "wings", whereas the leaflets of O. namaquana tend to be narrow. The first two photos by Bill Dijk. The third picture by Christiaan van Schalkwyk shows this species in habitat from a colony outside Vanrhynsdorp. This is a three leaflet form with broad petiolate wings. In this colony the flowers' colour included all the possibilities for this species: yellow, white and mauve. The photo was taken after flowering and after a very good rainfall season, both adding to the large size of this plant. The last two photos taken by Mary Sue Ittner are of a form received as Oxalis asinina.
Oxalis flava is a South African species-complex found on sandy flats from Namaqualand southwards to the Cape Peninsula and eastwards to Riverdale. Salter has described it as a variable species with many different varieties. It has very interesting basal leaves that are jointed and have 2 to 12 narrow leaflets, often folded lengthwise. Flowers are solitary, yellow, white or pale rosy violet, often purple on the outer margin. This species is fall blooming.
Below are some of the various forms. The first selection has yellow flowers. It blooms better planted in a deep pot. Photo by Bob Rutemoeller. The second one is a pink form. It bloomed on the surface of the soil just as it appeared followed a week or so later by the first sign of leaves. It is small, has light pink flowers and attractive leaves. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner.
This form was once known as Oxalis lupinifolia which is now considered a synonym for Oxalis flava. It has lupine like leaves and pink flowers and is very attractive and was obtained from Telos Rare Bulbs. Photo by Mary Sue Ittner.
The photos below were of bulbs given me by Johannes-Ulrich Urban. The first one illustrated by the first two photos taken in 2004 and 2007 has yellow flowers and blooms in the fall and the consensus is that is in the flava group. The last two photos show another bulb (labeled no. 69) collected in seasonally moist soil in heavy clay on the Nieuwoudville plateau. It was described as having bluish gray palmate leaves. It is likely Oxalis flava as well. The two photos show the plant and the bulbs on a 1 cm. square grid. Photos from Mary Sue Ittner.
Oxalis flava white, a fairly small variant from Nieuwoudville.
Photos by Christiaan van Schalkwyk.
Oxalis flaviuscula var. longifolia and the type variety are found in and around Steinkopf, Springbok and Kamieskroon in very hard clay soil. Var. flaviuscula occurs more in the north and west, while the south and eastern areas harbour the var. longifolia. The difference between the two varieties are the size (larger in var. longifolia) and the red colour of the petioles in var. longifolia. The flowers are yellow and typical of the section Crassulae (which includes species like O. flava, O. fabaefolia and O. namaquana). The first two pictures are from the same plant, the first taken in the morning, the second taken at noon, showing the folding of the leaves to conserve water during the day, and opening up at night to collect moisture. Similar leaf folding takes place in many other species.
Photos by Christiaan van Schalkwyk.
Oxalis fragrans This is what the latin would translate as "a naked name". It is a manuscript name used by Dr. L. Dreyer in her thesis, and has not been validly described. It was attributed to a species collected in the Karoo, fragrant and night blooming. It is supposed to belong to the section Pardales. Plants seen and grown by me as Oxalis fragrans do not belong to this section, and are therefore not this species, even though it is fragrant and night blooming. Unfortunately at this stage I can offer no definite identification. If anyone have info. as to where it originated I’ll appreciate it. Apparantly Michael Vasser received it from B.M., but thus far I'm unable to trace it. It might be an undescribed species, but without the locality data it is worthless. Photo of this misnamed plant by Christiaan van Schalkwyk.
Oxalis glabra has been blooming in my southern hemisphere garden starting in June and still in full bloom in July. Native to South Africa this is certainly a weed in many places. Looks beautiful as a potted plant. Bulbs are very tiny and increase quickly and are easy to miss so that if you reuse soil they have been planted in you will find these appearing in other pots. Photos by Lyn Edwards, Bill Dijk, and Mary Sue Ittner.
Oxalis glabra white. These plants were obtained from Kirstenbosch National Gardens, sometimes showing a tinge of pink.
Photo by Christiaan van Schalkwyk.
Oxalis goniorhiza is a winter blooming species usually found in damp marshy places. It has white flowers with reddish-purple margins. These photos taken by Mary Sue Ittner are of bulbs purchased from Telos Rare Bulbs blooming January 2004.
Oxalis gracilis is a species of the northwest Cape (Namaqualand to Clanwilliam). It grows on sandy flats and slopes and has trifoliolate linear leaves and apricot-pink or white flowers with a yellow tube. Plants grown under the name of Oxalis karooica with red stems and finely dissected leaves appear to be this species. Photos by Andrew Wilson and Mary Sue Ittner.
South African Oxalis A-B - South African Oxalis C - South African Oxalis D-E - South African Oxalis H-K - 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