Oxalis cernua Thunb.
Oxalis pes-caprae L.
Buttercup oxalis, Bermuda buttercup, African wood-sorrel, Bermuda sorrel, Cape sorrel, English weed, goat’s-foot, sourgrass
These South African natives have naturalized in parts of North America as garden escapes. They are considered invasive in California coastal dunes and other parts of the world.
Plants: Small perennial herbs 1¾–6″ (5–15 cm) tall.
Leaves: Trifoliate leaves, resembling clover, are arranged in a floppy basal rosette. Leaf petioles are up to 4½″ (12 cm) long. Leaflets are heart-shaped, bright green, and up to 1¼″ (3.5 cm) long.
Flowers: Umbel-like inflorescences have 2-12 flowers, on peduncles up to 12″ (30 cm) long. Flowers are obovate, bright yellow, with green sepals. Each flower has five petals, ten stamens, and a compound pistil, and is ¾–1″ (2–3 cm) in size.
Fruits: In California, at least, plants spread vegetatively and do not produce seed. Fruits can appear though: pointed, pubescent capsules up to ⅛″ (6 mm).
Habitats: Coastal dunes, scrub, oak woodlands, gardens, turf, urban areas, orchards and agricultural fields.
Edibility: Poisonous. High levels of oxalic acid make the plant sour and mildly toxic. Consumed in large quantities by livestock, it can be fatal.
Online References:
Bolboxalis cernua (Thunb.) Small
Oxalis cernua Thunb.
Oxalis cernua Thunb.
2/24/2010 · Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California · ≈ 2 × 1¾″ (5.3 × 4.7 cm) 
2/24/2010 · Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California · ≈ 4½ × 3′ (136 × 91 cm) 
2/24/2010 · Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
2/24/2010 · Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California · ≈ 5 × 4½″ (13 × 11 cm) 
2/24/2010 · Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (48 × 32 cm) 
2/24/2010 · Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California · ≈ 3 × 3½″ (7.7 × 8.6 cm) 
2/24/2010 · Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California · ≈ 4 × 2½″ (11 × 7.2 cm) 
2/24/2010 · Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California · ≈ 2½ × 2½″ (6.2 × 6.6 cm) 
2/24/2010 · Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California · ≈ 2½ × 2½″ (7.1 × 6.5 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Geraniales | Balsams, mustards, geraniums, wood sorrels, nasturtiums, others |
| Family | Oxalidaceae | Wood sorrels |
| Genus | Oxalis | Wood sorrels (Oxalis means “sour”) |
| Species | pes-caprae | Means “foot of the goat,” alluding to the shape of the leaflet |
Oxalis pes-caprae description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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