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Oxalis

File:Oxalis_acetosella_jfg.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ157378· pop 50· linked from 257 articles

Also known as shamrock, wood sorrel genus, wood sorrels, sorrels

Oxalis ( , ) is a large genus of flowering plants in the wood-sorrel family, Oxalidaceae, comprising over 550 species. The genus occurs throughout most of the world, except for the polar areas; species diversity is particularly rich in tropical Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa.

OverviewAI-generated

Oxalis is a genus of plants within the family Oxalidaceae. It belongs to the class Magnoliopsida and the order Oxalidales, though some sources list it under Geraniales. The genus is part of the phylum Tracheophyta and the kingdom Plantae. Its scientific name is Oxalis L., and it has the common name woodsorrel. The taxonomic type for this genus is Oxalis acetosella.

The genus produces fruit in the form of a capsule. Records indicate that Oxalis has been documented in Mexico, with collections held by institutions such as FCN-UAQ, GH, and IBUNAM. The name Oxalis is referenced by 257 other encyclopedia articles.

Synthesized by Vinony from 39 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, Gbif Occ, Plants of the World, WoRMS, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Oxalis

GENUS

  1. KingdomPlantae
  2. PhylumTracheophyta
  3. ClassMagnoliopsida
  4. OrderOxalidales
  5. FamilyOxalidaceae
Observations recorded1,547,649

General: temperate areas. The largest genus is Oxalis (ca. 500 species). Use: The leaves of some Oxalis species are used in salads. Appearance: , and the terminalleaflet is reduced to a bristle-like mucro. Oxalis usually has Fruit: at the base (some Oxalis and Biophytum species), which results

via GBIF · Kew POWO

Museum specimens

Specimen records
7,000
With media
3,473
Family
Oxalidaceae
Collections
FCN-UAQ, GH, IBUNAM
Recorded in
Mexico

~13 min read

Encyclopedic overview

10 sections
Contents
  • Description
  • Taxonomy
  • Ecology
  • Uses
  • As food
  • Other uses
  • As ornamental plants
  • Selected species
  • References
  • Further reading

Oxalis ( , ) is a large genus of flowering plants in the wood-sorrel family, Oxalidaceae, comprising over 550 species. The genus occurs throughout most of the world, except for the polar areas; species diversity is particularly rich in tropical Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa.

Many of the species are known as wood-sorrels (also as wood sorrels or woodsorrels) as they have an acidic taste reminiscent of the sorrel proper (Rumex acetosa), which is not closely related. Some species are called yellow sorrels or pink sorrels after the colour of their flowers instead. Other species are colloquially known as false shamrocks, and some called sourgrasses. For the genus as a whole, the term oxalises is also used. Many plants in this genus contain oxalic acid; the acid being named after the genus Oxalis.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Oxalis” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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