Oxalis latifolia

H. B. Kunth

Fish-tailed Oxalis, Pink shamrock, Broadleaf sorrel

OxalidaceaeLeavesRootsFlowersShootsSpice/BeveragePotential hazards — see below

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(c) Osse, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Osse

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) E. Tadeo Hernández Almanza, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Vegetable, Stems - drink, Tubers, Flowers

Young leaves are pickled or eaten as snacks. The stems, which have a sour taste, are chewed fresh or made into a drink. Small tubers are eaten, and flowers are also edible.

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 grows in temperate and tropical plants. In Nepal they grow from 1200-1600 m altitude. In Ecuador it grows between 1,000-3,000 m above sea level. Tasmania Herbarium.

Africa (S), Asia, Australia, Bolivia, China, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, Europe, Haiti, Himalayas, India, Kenya, Lesser Antilles*, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, North America, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, SE Asia, South America, Spain, St Helena, Tasmania, Uganda, West Indies*, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Countries: Andorra, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Antigua & Barbuda, Albania, Armenia, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Barbados, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Burundi, Brunei, Bolivia, Brazil, Bahamas, Bhutan, Belarus, Belize, Canada, Switzerland, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Djibouti, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Eritrea, Spain, Ethiopia, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Grenada, Georgia, French Guiana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Croatia, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Comoros, St Kitts & Nevis, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, St Lucia, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, Madagascar, North Macedonia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Malta, Mauritius, Maldives, Malawi, Mexico, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, Oman, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, San Marino, Somalia, Suriname, South Sudan, El Salvador, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago, Taiwan, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uganda, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, St Vincent, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

An erect herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It has spreading underground stems which produce many fibrous bulbs. It grows about 30 cm high. The leaves are at the base and have long stalks. The leaves have 3 leaflets. These are triangular and usually with notches at the tip. The flowers are pink. They are in loose umbrella shaped flower arrangements. About 12 flowers occur together.

How to Grow

Plants are grown from seed. It can be grown from bulbils.

Other Uses

The root is mixed with natural dyes in order to make the colour fast. The plant can be used as a ground cover in moist, shady places.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Oxalis latifolia is a species of flowering plant in the woodsorrel family known by the common names garden pink-sorrel and broadleaf woodsorrel. It is native to Mexico and parts of Central and South America. However, it has propagated to other parts of the world.

Production

The whole plant is removed and the leaves harvested.

Other Information

The small tubers are eaten by children.

Notes

There are about 500 Oxalis species.

Names & Synonyms

Agritos, Chariamilo, Chirisiqui, Ch'ullku, Gungwe, Kahungwarara, Kanyeebwa, Khatmandari, Khatmit-thi, Malori, Mu-chin, Musauti, Netho sag, Teen patti, Tenpaku, Thulo chari amilo, Tinpatia, Tochmehxokok, Trebol, Umngumungwana, Umungumungwana, Unk arxa, Uqa uqa

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