Oxalis corniculata

Oxalis corniculata, the creeping woodsorrel, procumbent yellow sorrel[2] or sleeping beauty, is a somewhat delicate-appearing, low-growing herbaceous plant in the family Oxalidaceae.

Oxalis corniculata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Oxalidales
Family: Oxalidaceae
Genus: Oxalis
Species:
O. corniculata
Binomial name
Oxalis corniculata
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Acetosella corniculata (L.) Kuntze
    • Acetosella corniculata var. subglabra Kuntze
    • Acetosella corniculata var. villosa (M.Bieb.) Kuntze
    • Acetosella herpestica (Schltdl.) Kuntze
    • Acetosella simulans (Baker) Kuntze
    • Oxalis albicans var. sericea DC.
    • Oxalis boreaui P.Fourn.
    • Oxalis boridiensis R.Knuth
    • Oxalis ceratilis E.Mey.
    • Oxalis ciliifera A.Cunn.
    • Oxalis corniculata var. atropurpurea Planch.
    • Oxalis corniculata var. corcovadensis R.Knuth
    • Oxalis corniculata var. glabrocapsula Roti Mich.
    • Oxalis corniculata var. langloisii (Small) Wiegand
    • Oxalis corniculata var. macrophylla Arsène ex R.Knuth
    • Oxalis corniculata var. pilosiuscula (Kunth) Zucc.
    • Oxalis corniculata var. pubescens Griseb.
    • Oxalis corniculata var. radicosa (A.Rich.) Roti Mich.
    • Oxalis corniculata var. repens (Thunb.) Zucc.
    • Oxalis corniculata rubra G.Nicholson
    • Oxalis corniculata var. villosa (M.Bieb.) Hohen.
    • Oxalis corniculata var. viscidula Wiegand
    • Oxalis diffusa Boreau
    • Oxalis foliosa Blatt.
    • Oxalis furcata Elliott
    • Oxalis glauca Raf. ex DC.
    • Oxalis grenadensis Urb.
    • Oxalis herpestica Schltdl.
    • Oxalis humistrata Willd. ex Steud.
    • Oxalis jamaicensis Macfad.
    • Oxalis javanica Blume
    • Oxalis langloisii (Small) Fedde
    • Oxalis lujula Noronha
    • Oxalis lupulina Kunth
    • Oxalis lutea Steud.
    • Oxalis meridensis Pittier
    • Oxalis micrantha Bojer ex Progel
    • Oxalis minima Steud.
    • Oxalis monadelpha Roxb. ex Wight & Arn.
    • Oxalis norlindiana R.Knuth
    • Oxalis pilosiuscula Kunth
    • Oxalis pubescens Stokes
    • Oxalis pusilla Salisb.
    • Oxalis radicosa A.Rich.
    • Oxalis recisa Noronha
    • Oxalis repens Thunb.
    • Oxalis reptans Sol. ex G.Forst.
    • Oxalis simulans Baker
    • Oxalis steudeliana R.Knuth
    • Oxalis taiwanensis (Masam.) Masam.
    • Oxalis tenuicaulis A.Cunn.
    • Oxalis thunbergiana Montrouz.
    • Oxalis trinidadensis R.Knuth
    • Oxalis uittienii J.T.Jansen
    • Oxalis urvillei A.Cunn.
    • Oxalis villosa M.Bieb.
    • Oxys corniculata (L.) Scop.
    • Oxys lutea Lam.
    • Xanthoxalis corniculata (L.) Small
    • Xanthoxalis corniculata subsp. repens (Thunb.) Tzvelev
    • Xanthoxalis grenadensis (Urb.) Tzvelev ex Prob. & Sokolovsk.
    • Xanthoxalis langloisii Small
    • Xanthoxalis repens (Thunb.) Moldenke
    • Xanthoxalis trinidadensis (R.Knuth) Holub
Purple leaved variety.

It is a small creeping type of woodsorrel that tends to grow well in moist climates.[3] It resembles the common yellow woodsorrel, Oxalis stricta.

Description

Stems with leaf stalk and side leaf (inconspicuous stipules at the base of each petiole are visible too)
Trifoliate leaf of Oxalis corniculata

It has a narrow, creeping stem that readily roots at the nodes. The trifoliate leaves are subdivided into three rounded leaflets and resemble a clover in shape. Some varieties have green leaves, while others, like Oxalis corniculata var. atropurpurea, have purple. The leaves have inconspicuous stipules at the base of each petiole. The flowers are small and yellow, with some having round-edged petals and others possessing sharp ends. The flowers close when direct sun is not hitting the plant, hence the name "sleeping beauty". Some specimen can have a single flower while others can have over 20.

Fruits of Oxalis corniculata
Pollen of Oxalis corniculata
Matured seed of Oxalis corniculata
Mature (brown) and immature (white) seeds of Oxalis corniculata

The fruit is a narrow, cylindrical capsule, 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) long, and noteworthy for its explosive discharge of the contained seeds, 1 mm (0.04 in) long.[4] Pollen is about 34 microns in diameter.

Distribution

This species probably comes from southeastern Asia.[5] It was first described by Linnaeus in 1753[6] using specimens from Italy, and it seems to have been introduced to Italy from the east before 1500.[5] It is now cosmopolitan in its distribution and is often regarded as a weed in gardens,[7] agricultural fields, and lawns.[8]

Chloroplast genome

The chloroplast genome sequence is 152,189 bp in size, and contains 131 genes. It includes a pair of 25,387 bp inverted repeats that separate a large 83,427 bp single copy region. The genome suggests that this plant is closely related to O. drummondii.[9]

Uses

The leaves of woodsorrel are edible, and have a tangy taste like lemons. A drink can be made by infusing the leaves in hot water for about 10 minutes, sweetening, and then chilling.[10] The entire plant is rich in vitamin C. Any woodsorrel is safe in low dosages, but if eaten in large quantities over a length of time can inhibit calcium absorption by the body.[10]

As a hyperaccumulator of copper, it can be used for phytoremediation. The 1491 Ming Dynasty text, Precious Secrets of the Realm of the King of Xin, describes how to locate underground copper deposits by extracting trace elements of copper from the plant.

References

  1. "Oxalis corniculata L." Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  2. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. Lubna; Asaf, Sajjad; Jan, Rahmatullah; Khan, Abdul Latif; Lee, In-Jung (2020-07-23). "Complete Chloroplast Genome Characterization of Oxalis Corniculata and Its Comparison with Related Species from Family Oxalidaceae". Plants. 9 (8): 928. doi:10.3390/plants9080928. ISSN 2223-7747. PMC 7464629. PMID 32717796.
  4. Shanpeng Li, Yun Zhang, Jianlin Liu (1 June 2020). "Seed ejection mechanism in an Oxalis species". Scientific Reports. Nature. 10 (1): 8855. Bibcode:2020NatSR..10.8855L. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-65885-2. PMC 7264325. PMID 32483323.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Groom, Quentin; Van der Straeten, Jan; Hoste, Ivan (2019-02-13). "The origin of Oxalis corniculata L." PeerJ. 7: e6384. doi:10.7717/peerj.6384. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 6377598. PMID 30783568.
  6. von Linné, Carl (1753). Species plantarum. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  7. Hackney, P. 1992. Stewart & Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland. Institute of Irish Studies, Queen's University of Belfast.
  8. UC Davis IPM
  9. Lubna; Asaf, Sajjad; Jan, Rahmatullah; Khan, Abdul Latif; Lee, In-Jung (2020-07-23). "Complete Chloroplast Genome Characterization of Oxalis Corniculata and Its Comparison with Related Species from Family Oxalidaceae". Plants. 9 (8): 928. doi:10.3390/plants9080928. ISSN 2223-7747. PMC 7464629. PMID 32717796.
  10. Lee Allen Peterson, Edible Wild Plants, Houghton Mifflin Company, New York City (1977), p. 104.
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