Creeping Woodsorrel: Oxalis corniculata
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Weed Description: Erect, stoloniferous perennial that may mimic a summer
annual in cooler climates. Found throughout the United States. Seedling: Cotyledons smooth, oblong, green. Margins and veins on lower leaf surfaces of young seedlings are sparsely hairy. |
| Leaves: Alternate,
long-petiolated, and divided into 3 heart-shaped leaflets. Leaf margins are fringed
with hairs. Stems: Green to pink, weak, branched at base, more prostrate than erect to 20 inches tall, varying from smooth to pubescent. Spreads by stolons, which are aboveground modified stems. |
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| Roots:
Stolons which root at the nodes. Flowers: In clusters that arise from long stalks at the leaf axils, consisting of 5 yellow petals, 4-9 mm long. Fruit: A capsule that is angulate with flat sides, cylindrical, pointed, and sparsely hairy. Seed disperse from capsules by explosively ejecting up to 13 feet. Identifying Characteristics: May be distinguished from Yellow Woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) by the presence of aboveground stolons vs. the underground rhizomes of yellow woodsorrel. Also, creeping woodsorrel has a more prostrate growth habit and often has more reddish-purple leaves than yellow woodsorrel. However, the presence of stolons rather than leaf color should be used to distinguish between the two species, as leaf color is variable in both. |