Redwood Sorrel, Oxalis oregana

About Redwood Sorrel (Oxalis oregana) 28 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Sorrel or Oregon Oxalis (Oxalis oregana) is a species of the wood sorrel family, Oxalidaceae, native to moist coastal Douglas-fir and redwood forests of western North America from southwestern British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California. This area receives considerable summer moisture from fog drip. It is a short herbaceous perennial plant with erect flowering stems 5-15 centimeter tall. The three leaflets are heart-shaped, 1-4.5 centimeter long with purplish undersides, on 5-20 centimeter stalks. The leaflets prefer to be in shade and will fold up when exposed to sun. The flower cluster is 2.4-4 centimeter in diameter, white to pink with five petals and sepals. The hairy five-chambered seed capsules are egg-shaped, 7-9 millimeter long; seeds are almond shaped. This plant will spread into any area where there is moisture and some shade, but it is fairly easy to control because it is shallowly rooted.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb

Size

0.16 - 1.3 ft tall
6 ft wide

Form

Spreading

Growth Rate

Fast

Flower Color

Pink, White

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 5 likely * ) SHOW ALL

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

The Wedgling Galgula partitaGalgula partita

Virginian Tiger Moth Spilosoma virginicaSpilosoma virginica

Trichodezia californiataTrichodezia californiata

Soybean Looper Moth Chrysodeixis includensChrysodeixis includens

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade

Moisture

Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 28

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 25° F

Soil Drainage

Medium

Soil Description

High organic content forest soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Groundcovers, Deer Resistant

Companion Plants

Use with other shade and moiSture loving foreSt plants such as wild ginger (Asarum caudatum), redwood violet (Viola sempervirens), WeStern Sword Fern (PolyStichum munitum), Common Trillium (Trillium chloropetalum), and Fawn Lily (Erythronium species).

Maintenance

Remove runners as needed

Propagation?

Rooted sections. For propagating by seed: No treatment. (Emery and Frey 1971).

Sunset Zones?

4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Moist, shady places; near woodland streams and creeks. Typically under redwood trees or large woodland shrubs.

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 21.2" - 96.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.25" - 3.10", Coldest Month: 40.2" - 50.2", Hottest Month: 58.5" - 73.0", Humidity: 0.01" - 20.93", Elevation: 7" - 3188"

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Redwood Sorrel

Oxalis oregana

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Redwood SorrelOxalis oregana

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Redwood Sorrel

Oxalis oregana