Common Name(s): Violet Wood Sorrel, Purple Wood Sorrel, Wood Sorrel

Scientific Name: Oxalis violacea

Family:  Oxalidaceae

Bloom Period: Spring (March – May ), Fall (October -November)

Habitat: Shade to Partial Shade. Near trees or walls (provides shade). Dry Sandy soils, prairies, pastures, open (oak) woods, slopes, rocky areas.

Description: Terminal clusters on scapes. Callyx -5 sepals; Corolla – 5 petals, united at base; Stamens – 10 yellow; Pistil -1 ; Fruit ovoid capsule.

General Info:
A very pretty, long-blooming flower, that grows in clusters . It blooms twice a year: in Spring with leaves, and in Fall, mostly flowers only. Typically grows and spreads in colonies. The flowers close up during cloudy or overcast weather, and the leaves exhibit “sleep movements”, i.e. folding down and inward. The flower closes in a characteristic spiral motion.

Commentary: Look for this flower at the base of large trunked trees, and partial to full shade areas near openings in brush or forest. There is quite a variation of pink to lavender shades exhibited by this flower. The leaves are edible (for tea) and are pleasant to chew -a faint sour taste characteristic of the Oxalidaceae family.

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