Scour Grass, Native Oxalis, Grassland woodsorrel
Oxalis perennans
Family: Oxalidaceae
What it is like
A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It can be creeping or curve upwards. It grows 10-20 cm high and spreads 30 cm wide. It has a stout taproot. The stems are slender and there are hairs which point forward. The stems can be 25 cm long. The leaves have 3 leaflets like a clover leaf. But they hang down like a pleated skirt. They are rounded or heart shaped. They are 0.4-1.5 cm long by 0.2-0.8 cm across. The flowers are in the axils of leaves. There are 1-5 flowers in a cluster. The flowers are yellow and 8 mm across. The fruit is a capsule 1-3 cm long by 0.15-0.25 cm wide. It is red and hairy and held above the leaves.
There are about 500 Oxalis species.
Where it is found
It grows in temperate and tropical places. It grows in dry locations. It grows in inland regions in Australia. Tasmania Herbarium.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia (country/location of origin), New Zealand, Tasmania (country/location of origin)
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Leaves, tuber, root
How it is grown
Plants are grown from seed.