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Oxalis smithiana

Eckl. & Zeyh.

Narrow-leaved sorrel

Oxalidaceae Edible: Leaves, Corms, Root 690 iNaturalist observations

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(c) Brendan Cole, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Brendan Cole

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(c) Tony Rebelo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Tony Rebelo

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(c) Andrew Hankey, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Andrew Hankey

Description

A herb. The bulb is 3.5 cm long. There are only a few leaves. The stalk is 9 cm long. The leaflets have deeply divided lobes. They are about 2 cm long by 3 mm wide. The flowers occur singly on stalks 12 cm long. The petals are mauve or white. They are 2 cm long.

Edible Uses

The roots, leaves, and corms are eaten as snacks.

Traditional Uses

The roots are eaten as a snack. The leaves are eaten as a snack.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

It is a subtropical plant.

Where It Grows

Africa, Eswatini, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland,

Synonyms

Oxalis smithii Sond.

References (9)

  • Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 286
  • Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/
  • Ogle & Grivetti, 1985,
  • Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 158
  • Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 84
Show all 9 references
  • Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora
  • van Wyk, Be., & Gericke, N., 2007, People's plants. A Guide to Useful Plants of Southern Africa. Briza. p 92
  • Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
  • World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

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