Oxalis stricta

Yellow Woodsorrel, Sour grass

Oxalidaceae Edible: Leaves, Seeds, Pods, Roots, Flowers Potential hazards — see below 33,269 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Oxalis stricta, called the common yellow woodsorrel (or simply yellow woodsorrel), common yellow oxalis, or upright yellow-sorrel is a herbaceous plant.

Description

An upright herb. It has an underground stem or rhizome. It has a taproot. It is hairy. The stems are 30 cm tall. They form roots at the nodes. The leaves have 3 heart shaped leaflets. The leaflets have a crease in the centre. The flowers are yellow.

Edible Uses

The leaves are edible raw or cooked with a pleasant acid flavour and can also be chewed as a thirst quencher. Use in moderation. Flowers can be added raw to salads. Young seedpods are edible raw. The root is also edible, though no further details are recorded. A lemon-flavoured drink can be made from the leaves.

Traditional Uses

The leaves are eaten raw or cooked as a green vegetable. They are also chewed to quench thirst. The seed pods are edible. The flowers are roots are also eaten.

Medicinal Uses

An infusion of the plant has been used to treat fevers, stomach cramps, and nausea. A poultice of the plant has been applied to reduce swellings.

Known Hazards

The leaves contain oxalic acid, which gives them their sharp flavour. Perfectly all right in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since oxalic acid can bind up the body's supply of calcium leading to nutritional deficiency. The quantity of oxalic acid will be reduced if the leaves are cooked. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. In China it grows in forests and ravines between 400-1,500 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Africa, Balkans, Bosnia, Cameroon, Canada, Central Africa, China, Europe, Japan, Korea, North America, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, USA,

Cultivation

Easily grown in a sandy soil in a warm dry position. Very closely related to O. corniculata, and seen as no more than a variety of that species by some botanists. This variety differs from O. corniculata by stems erect, not rooting at nodes; branched or not.

Propagation

Seed is best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame. Prick out seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and plant out in summer. If enough seed is available, it can be sown in situ during spring.

Other Uses

Boiling up the whole plant yields a yellow to orange dye.

Notes

There are about 500 Oxalis species.

Nutrition

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Leaves	—	—	—	—	79	—	—	—

Synonyms

Oxalis dillenii Jacq.

Also Known As

Stoloniferous woodsorrel, Tarookay, Zuta soca

References (17)

Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
Duke, J.A., 1992, Handbook of Edible Weeds. CRC Press. p 140
Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 165
Hwang, H., et al, 2013, A Study on the Flora of 15 Islands in the Western Sea of Jeollanamdo Province, Korea. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Vol. 6, No. 2 281-310
Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 598

Show all 17 references

Lim, T. K., 2015, Edible Medicinal and Non Medicinal Plants. Volume 9, Modified Stems, Roots, Bulbs. Springer p 61
Luczaj, L., et al, 2015, Wild food plants and fungi used by Ukrainians in the western part of the Maramureş region in Romania. Acta Soc Bot Pol 84(3):339–346
MacKinnon, A., et al, 2009, Edible & Medicinal Plants of Canada. Lone Pine. p 223 (Also as Oxalis dillenii)
Mercy, N. A., et al, 2016, Survey of Wild Vegetables in the Lebialem Highlands of South Western Cameroon. Journal of Plant Sciences 4(6): 172-184
Moerman, D. F., 2010, Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press. p 374
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Sp. pl. 1:435. 1753
Redzic, S. J., 2006, Wild Edible Plants and their Traditional Use in the Human Nutrition in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 45:189-232
Shad, A. A., Shah, H. U., & Bakht, J., 2013, Ethnobotanical Assessment and Nutritive Potential of Wild Food Plants. The Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences, 23(1) pp. 92-97
Uphof,
www.wildediblefood.com
Zennie, T.M. and Ogzewalla, C.D., 1974, Ascorbic Acid and Vitamin A content of Edible Wild Plants of Ohio and Kentucky.