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 G-L are found on this wiki page.
Miscellaneous Oxalis – South African Oxalis A- F – South African Oxalis M-O – South African Oxalis P-Z - South American Oxalis – Oxalis index
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. Photos by Lyn Edwards and Bill Dijk.
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 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 by Mary Sue Ittner of this species and the bulbs on a grid of 1cm. squares.
And two photos from Bill Dijk including one that is so floriferous that you can't see the leaves.
The photo taken below is of a salmon colored Oxalis hirta furnished by Andrew Broome.
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 inaequalis First bloomed February 2005. Bulbs from Telos. This species has 3 leaflets and is one-flowered, with short yellow to coppery-rose flowers with a yellow tube.
Photo by Liz Waterman.
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 livida has trifoliolate leaves, usually hairy, with deeply bilobed leaflets that are purple beneath and rose or lilac flowers with a yellow tube. It blooms in fall. It is found on rocky slopes in shade in the Northwest and Southwest Cape. My plant did not bloom, but I found the leaves quite fascinating and extremely difficult to photograph as they blend into the background and don't look as attractive as they are. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner of Oxalis sp. Uli76 collected by Johannes-Ulrich Urban at about 500m. on the Nieuwoudtville Pass in fynbos habitat which is apparently this species .
Oxalis luteola, is a species with large gummy bulbs, trifoliolate leaves which are often purple beneath and yellow flowers. It is found on flats and lower slopes blooming fall to winter.
Oxalis luteola MV5567 This Oxalis was collected by Michael Vassar 60 km. from Clanwilliam (northwest Cape, South Africa.) It has light yellow flowers with a darker center and has been a very reliable bloomer for me blooming between November and January each year in California. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner.
Oxalis luteola MV6395 is a selection of Michael Vassar's from the Gifberg with bright yellow flowers and tight growth. It was one of his favorites. Photo by Bob Rutemoeller and Kristina Van Wert.
This plant given me by Johannes-Ulrich Urban is slower to increase than some forms of Oxalis luteola. It has yellow flowers, blooms late fall and has attractive speckled leaves. The consensus is that it is a form of Oxalis luteola similar to the form shown by Bill Dijk below which also has spotted leaves. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner.
Oxalis luteola 'Maculata'. Photo by Bill Dijk
Miscellaneous Oxalis – South African Oxalis A- F – South African Oxalis M-O – South African Oxalis P-Z - South American Oxalis – Oxalis index
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