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Oxalis brasiliensis (Brazilian Woodsorrel) - A bulbous plant that has dark green three-parted shamrock-like glossy leaves that rise to 2 to 4 inches and form a solid mat below the 1 ½ wide pinkish-purple flowers, with yellow throats, that rise just above the foliage from late spring to early summer, just prior to going dormant. It multiplies readily and will soon form tight neat clumps whose foliage emerges in late fall.
Plant in sun or part shade. Occasional to regular irrigation. Hardy to around 25°F but best with protection from a moderate frost. This neat looking plant is great for the rock garden, between stepping stones or in small pots. While many Oxalis can be invasive, this one hasn’t created such problems in California gardens but it has spread about in the Southeastern US and noted as naturalized along roadsides, in vacant lots, in lawns, and in cemeteries in Alabama and has also naturalized in southern Australia.
Oxalis braziliensis grows natural from eastern Argentina, southern Brazil, and Uruguay where it is found in dry rocky or sandy soils. Linnaeus gave the name to the genus using the Greek words 'oxus' (sometimes spelled 'oxys'or 'oxis') meaning "sour" or "acid", which he used when describing Oxalis acetosella. The specific epithet references where this plant was first collected. It was was introduced into cultivation in 1829 and we grew it from 1999 until 2019.
The information about Oxalis brasiliensis that is displayed on this web page is based on research conducted in our nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We will also include observations made about this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We also incorporate comments that we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they share cultural information that aids others growing this plant.
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