Oxalis bifida

Thunb.

OxalidaceaeLeavesRootsPotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Roots

The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked; use in moderation due to oxalic acid content. The bulb can be eaten raw.

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.

Where to Find It

It is a subtropical plant.

Africa, South Africa*, Southern Africa,

Countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Comoros, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

Oxalis bifida is a bulbous perennial reaching 30cm tall, flowering from May to July with hermaphroditic blooms pollinated by insects. It prefers light sandy or medium loamy, well-drained soil in full sun, tolerating mildly acid, neutral, and mildly alkaline pH. The plant adapts to both dry and moist soils and is hardy to UK zone 9.

How to Grow

Easily grown in a sandy soil in a warm dry position. This species is not very cold hardy in Britain, though it might succeed outdoors in the milder areas of the country.

Propagation: Seed is best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame. Prick out seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle, then plant out in late spring or early summer. Division in spring — larger divisions can go directly into permanent positions. Smaller divisions are better potted up and grown on in light shade in a cold frame until well established before planting out in late spring or early summer.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Other Uses

None known.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Oxalis bifida is a species of plant. The species was originally described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1794.

Notes

There are about 500 Oxalis species.

References (5)

Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 286
Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 92
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 84
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