Alpine Wood Sorrel
Oxalis alpina
In open ponderosa woodland on Madera Peak, Pinal Mountain, Gila Co., Arizona, USA. 30 July 2011.
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FLOWERS: Pink or lavender flowers with five petals. Sometimes very pale,
almost white. Borne on long, slender peduncles.
LEAVES: Palmately compound leaves with three or four heart-shaped
segments.
PERENNIAL HERB: Regrowing each spring from below-ground bulbs. Usually
no branching stems above ground and the leaves rising no more 12 cm.
RANGE: Found in semi-open, woodland habitats from Arizona to western
Texas. A similar species occurs in oak-pine woodlands of southeastern Arizona, O.
drummondii.
FRUIT: Dry capsule at maturity containing several seeds.
UNARMED. No spines or prickles. Crystals of oxalic acid on the leaf
margin are sharp at the microscopic scale.
Oxalidaceae -- Wood Sorrel Family
More Information:
- Southwest Environemtnal Information Network
- Gila Wilderness Plants
- USDA Plant Profile
- ITIS Taxonomic Report
- Google Images
- Google Scholar Literature Search