Yellow Woodsorrel ( Oxalis )

Scientific Name - Oxalis stricta L.
[Oxalis dillenii Jacq.]
Family - Oxalidaceae

.Upright, herbaceous perennial with hairy stems. Leaves, alternate, divided into three partly-folded, deeply cut, heart-shaped lobes. Foliage with sour, acrid taste. Flowers, bright yellow, with five petals, on stalk bent below the fruit attached to a common point. Fruit a narrow "okra-like"capsule. Found in most of the eastern and central United States. Also occurs in Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, Japan, and New Zealand. Creeping Woodsorrel, (Oxalis corniculata L.), has a more prostrate growth habit than the yellow woodsorrel. Stolons readily root at the nodes. Leaves similar to yellow woodsorrel but may be green to reddish purple. Florida yellow woodsorrel is similar in appearance to yellow woodsorrel, but has slender stems and a smooth to sparingly hairy smaller capsule. All species reproduce by seed.