Creeping Woodsorrel (Oxalis corniculata) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Creeping woodsorrel makes low mats of three heart-shaped leaflets and tiny yellow flowers in lawns, sidewalk cracks, and nursery pots. Its aboveground runners root at the joints, a useful clue that separates it from the more upright yellow woodsorrels.

Appearance

Growth form: This low annual or perennial sends along the soil surface. They can reach about 12 in (30 cm) and root where the stem touches the ground.
Leaves: Each leaf has three broadly heart-shaped leaflets. The foliage ranges from green to dark purple and often folds downward at midday and at night.
Flowers: Clusters of two to five small yellow flowers grow where leaves join the stem. Each flower has five petals.
Flowering time: In California, flowers may appear nearly year-round.
Fruit: The fruit is a narrow green capsule about 0.25–1 in (0.6–2.8 cm) long.

Look-alikes

Yellow woodsorrelOxalis stricta

Yellow woodsorrel usually grows more upright and spreads with underground . Creeping woodsorrel runs along the ground and roots from aboveground stolons.

Why they get mixed upBoth have three heart-shaped leaflets, yellow five-petaled flowers, and narrow seed capsules.

Slender yellow woodsorrelOxalis dillenii

Slender yellow woodsorrel grows more upright, while creeping woodsorrel forms low runners that root along the ground.

Why they get mixed upThe small yellow flowers and three-part leaves are very similar.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: lawns and gardens
sidewalk cracks and urban ground
fields, orchards, and nurseries
Range: It is native from the Indian subcontinent east to Japan and the Philippines and is introduced across much of the United States. In California it occurs statewide up to about 8,200 ft (2,500 m).
Preferred conditions: It grows in disturbed soil in sun or partial shade and can persist in irrigated landscapes, containers, and greenhouses.
Flowering: Flowers Jan–Dec
Flowers Jan–Dec

Life cycle

Seed dispersal: Ripe capsules split suddenly and scatter their seeds away from the parent plant.

Growing it

Propagation: It spreads both by seed and by aboveground runners that root at the joints.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed

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