violet wood sorrel

(Oxalis violacea)

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

 
violet wood sorrel
 
Description

Violet wood sorrel is an 4 to 6 tall, erect, perennial forb rising from a scaly, underground bulb.

There is no central stem.

The leaves are all basal. They are on purplish, usually hairless, sometimes hairy, up to 4 long leaf stalks. They are palmately divided into three leaflets.

The leaflets are ¼ to ¾ long, ½ to 1 wide, and inversely heart-shaped with the attachment at the narrow end. The upper surface is grayish green or purplish green and hairless, sometimes with a band of purple spots. The lower surface is purple and hairless. The margins are untoothed. The leaflets open and spread outwards during the day. They fold closed along the midrib and droop downward at night. They also close under intense sunlight. They repel water, so that after a rain they look dry with water beads on the surface.

The inflorescence is an umbrella-like cluster of 4 to 15 flowers held well above the leaves. They rise from the ground on 4 to 8 long, erect, leafless, hairless or hairy flower stalks.

The flowers are ½ to ¾ wide and bell-shaped. There are 5 short sepals that are not visible from above. The sepals have orange tips. There are 5 petals fused at the base into a short tube, then separated into 5 long, spreading lobes. The petals are pink to violet with purple veins, white near the center, and green at the throat. There are 10 stamens, 5 long and 5 short, with yellow anthers. The flowers close at night and on overcast days. There is no floral scent.

The fruit is a, egg-shaped capsule, up to ¼ long, with numerous seeds.

 

Height

4 to 6

 

Flower Color

Pink to violet with purple veins

 

Similar Species

Violet wood sorrel is the only sorrel with pink to violet petals in Minnesota.

Habitat

Dry. Woods, prairies.

Ecology

Flowering

April to June

 

Pests and Diseases

 

Use

 

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

5/24/2024    
     

Nativity

Native

     

Occurrence

Common

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae (green algae and land plants)

Subkingdom

Viridiplantae (green plants)

Infrakingdom

Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)

Superdivision

Embryophyta (land plants)

Division

Tracheophyta (vascular plants)

Subdivision

Spermatophytina (seed plants)

Class

Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)

Superorder

Rosanae

Order

Oxalidales (woodsorrels, quandongs, and allies)

Family

Oxalidaceae (woodsorrel)

Genus

Oxalis (woodsorrels)

Subgenus

Oxalis (palmate-leaved wood sorrel)

Section

Ionoxalis (scaly-bulbed oxalis)

   

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

Synonyms

Acetosella violacea

Ionoxalis violacea

Oxalis violacea f. albida

Oxalis violacea var. trichophora

   

Common Names

purple woodsorrel

violet wood sorrel

violet wood-sorrel

violet woodsorrel

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Palmate

Similar to a hand. Having more than three lobes or leaflets that radiate from a single point at the base of the leaf.

 

Rhizome

A horizontal, usually underground stem. It serves as a reproductive structure, producing roots below and shoots above at the nodes.

 

Sepal

An outer floral leaf, usually green but sometimes colored, at the base of a flower.

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Dan W. Andree

violet wood sorrel    
     
violet wood sorrel   violet wood sorrel

I believe these are Violet Wood Sorrel...

I seen these at the Twin Valley Prairie 6-8-23. … Interesting little violet like flower with kind of drooping heart shaped leaves. First time I ever seen one.

  On the second photo the black ant was first on the blossom and going around all over on it then went underneath etc... Maybe looking for aphids, but I don’t really know.
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
violet wood sorrel   violet wood sorrel
     
violet wood sorrel   violet wood sorrel

 

Camera

Slideshows

Oxalis violacea VIOLET WOOD SORREL
Frank Mayfield

Oxalis violacea VIOLET WOOD SORREL

 

slideshow

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Other Videos

purple
Ken Christison

About

Published on May 2, 2014

This is about an hour and a half real time compressed to 50 seconds. Violet Wood-sorrel (oxalis violacea) Next time I will examine them a bit closer and cut out the non viable blooms.

ムラサキカタバミ (紫片喰) / Violet wood-sorrel
MegaValueSoyProtein

About

Published on Jun 19, 2013

カタバミ科カタバミ属

2013年6月7日

 

Camcorder

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Dan W. Andree
May 2024

Location: Norman Co. Mn.

violet wood sorrel
Dan W. Andree
6/8/2023

Location: Twin Valley Prairie SNA

I seen these at the Twin Valley Prairie 6-8-23. On the second photo the black ant was first on the blossom and going around all over on it then went underneath etc... Maybe looking for aphids, but I don’t really know. Interesting little violet like flower with kind of drooping heart shaped leaves. First time I ever seen one.

violet wood sorrel
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