Oxalidaceae
Oxalis

Oxalis obliquifolia Steud. ex A.Rich.

First published in Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 123 (1848)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Eritrea to S. Africa. It is a rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Oxalidaceae, Christine H. S. Kabuye  (East African Herbarium). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Acaulescent bulbous herb with a vertical rhizome 1–10 cm. long.
Vegetative Multiplication Bulbs
Bulb solitary at base of rhizome, ovoid-ellipsoid, up to 12 mm. long and 6–12 mm. in diameter, covered by 2 or more dirty brown reticulate scales.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate, appearing in a rosette at the soil-surface, with petioles widening at the base; leaflets sessile, broadly obovate, cuneate, the middle one usually shallowly emarginate, slightly wider than the lateral ones, 5–11 mm. long and 9–19 mm. wide, and with a distinct midvein, the lateral ones 5–11 mm. long and 5.5–16 mm. wide, with no midvein but with up to 4 veins arising from the base, usually foveolate on both sides, glabrous or rarely ciliate on the midvein below.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers solitary on erect peduncles longer than petioles; bracts 2, linear, l.5–2(–4) mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals oblong-lanceolate, sometimes with 2 apical calli, 3–4(–5) mm. long, shortly hairy and ciliate at the top, usually tinged purple.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals pink or purple, sometimes with a yellow base, narrowly obovate, 10–23 mm. long, entire, hairy in part on the outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Styles densely hairy; flowers can be long-styled (styles longer than both stamen whorls), mid-styled (styles intermediate in length between the 2 stamen whorls) or short-styled (styles shorter than both stamen whorls), but the homostylous condition (styles as long as long filaments) has not been noticed; stigmas laciniate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule globose, shorter than the sepals, 3–3.5 mm. long, terminated by the persistent styles.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 1 or 2 in each locule, 1 mm. long, light brown with faint markings.
Habitat
Open or wooded grassland and Brachystegia woodland, often in moist places on sloping hillsides or amongst rocks, also a weed of cultivated ground and roadsides; 600–3170 m.
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8
[FTEA]

Oxalidaceae, A. W. Exell. Flora Zambesiaca 2:1. 1963

Morphology General Habit
Acaulescent perennial herb with vertical rhizome up to 10 cm. long (sometimes very short in young plants).
Vegetative Multiplication Bulbs
Bulb 8–12 mm. in diam., subglobose or ellipsoid, solitary at the base of the rhizome.
Morphology Leaves
Leave 3-foliolate; leaflet-lamina up to 17 × 4 mm., subcircular to very broadly obovate or transversely elliptic, apex rounded to shallowly emarginate, base cuneate or slightly attenuate, glabrous or sparsely pubescent and usually distinctly faveolate; petiole 2–9 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers up to 2·5 cm. in diam., pink or mauve, sometimes with a yellow centre, solitary; peduncle up to 9 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 10–23 mm. long. Sepals up to 4–5 × 2–2·2 mm., broadly oblong-elliptic, with or without apical calli.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments with minute glandular hairs (otherwise glabrous).
[FZ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images