Photos with a description of garden and indoor species of oxalis kislitsa

Most of the several hundred species of oxalis existing in the world are wild, inconspicuous plants, sometimes considered weeds. But at the same time oxalis - oxalis, as the name of the culture sounds in Latin, these are decorative cultures loved by many flower growers.

Since in nature, acid woods live in a variety of regions and conditions, these small, herbaceous plants are welcome guests in gardens and on indoor window sills from northern Europe and Russia to the south of the African and American continent.

Description and features of oxalis oxalis

Sour greens, some varieties of which are used for food, have a pleasant sour taste. This is due to the unusually high oxalic acid content. And since the feature was noticed long ago, it determined the name of the entire genus.

Oxalis has been known as a garden plant for more than three hundred years. During this time, folk names appeared for some varieties.

This nickname, derived from the resemblance to the "lucky" four-leaf clover, was given to Depp's oxalis. The four-leaf oxalis, in the photo, or the flower of family happiness is also called the iron cross due to the contrasting pattern on the leaves.

Curly leaves of oxalis oxalis are divided into three or four parts in most varieties, less often there are plants in which there are five or nine such parts on the leaves. But there are some interesting exceptions.

For example, the oxalis palmifrons flower shown in the photo has leaves of 15-19 lobes, which gives the rosette a unique, futuristic look.

The leaves of the sorrel, holding on long petioles, can be not only green. Not uncommon - purple, violet, orange-red or variegated color of the leaf plates.

The flowers of the sorrel, in the photo, do not stand out in size, but they are very diverse, and sometimes even unique. Corollas are simple or, which is much less often terry, can be single or collected in sparse inflorescences. At the base of the corolla there are five smooth petals, the colors of which will be the envy of a rainbow.

The range of colors of sorrel includes all shades of lilac, yellow, pink, red and cream. In many species, the flowers are completely white or decorated with thin veins of purple or pink.

Like the leaves of the sorrel, its flowers are very sensitive. In many species, the corollas are closed not only at night, but also when the weather worsens or even when touched. Leaves in the same cases are simply folded.

Triangular oxalis (Oxalis triangularis)

Oxalis began to be grown as a room culture only in the last century. Florists were attracted by the opportunity to decorate the windowsill with a spectacular plant from distant countries with little or no hassle. A striking example of this can be considered purple or triangular oxalis, once exported from Brazil.

The species owes its names to the structure of the leaves and their color. Most of the medium-sized plants of triangular sorrel are striking with a thick purple tint, and on the leaf plates, in addition, spots or strokes of a different color are perfectly distinguishable.

But unpretentious indoor culture is not only purple. Green oxalis triangular is no less elegant and decorative. Against the background of large three-lobed foliage, small white flowers stand out, which willingly open buds all year round.

Four-leafed oxalis (Oxalis tetraphylla)

The Mexican species of sorrel in Europe has become one of the most popular as a garden plant. Oxalis four-leafed has a second name - depp's oxalis. The culture is easily recognizable thanks to the four-lobed leaves with brown, reddish or purple patterns on the leaf blades.

The perennial four-leafed oxalis propagates by seeds and daughter scaly bulbs formed by autumn, which can be eaten. The flowers of this species are reddish-pink, simple, with wide, rounded petals.

Oxalis bowiei

Bowie's oxalis is a graceful, flowering species with plants reaching 25 cm in height. As a horticultural crop, this warm oxalis is grown in regions with warm climates.

The view attracts attention with large pink flowers towering above the foliage on long thin peduncles.

Common oxalis (Oxalis acetosella)

The native European species can be seen in coniferous and deciduous forests, as well as in gardens where oxalis ordinary pleases with white or lilac-pink flowers and light green three-lobed foliage. The flowering of a perennial unpretentious species occurs in spring and early summer.

The peculiarity of the plant is the presence of the usual sour cherry flowers shown in the photo, which open above the surface of the soil, and cleistogamous, hidden from view under the fallen needles and foliage. If ordinary corollas attract insects, then very small, 3 mm in diameter, closed flowers are self-pollinating.

Ferruginous oxalis (Oxalis adenophylla)

Winter-hardy ferruginous oxalis is often grown in gardens as an unpretentious ground cover plant with a height of only 10 cm.Flowers are attracted not only by the undemanding culture, but also by its decorative qualities - silvery feathery foliage and pink-lilac flowers with raspberry veins and a spot at the base of each petal.

Multi-colored oxalis (Oxalis versicolor)

This plant cannot be confused with other representatives of the numerous oxalis code. Thanks to the effectively twisted white petals with a bright red border, the oxalis multi-colored in some countries is called "Christmas candy". Indeed, the buds are very reminiscent of traditional licorice candies and adorn a very small plant in an amazing way.

Variegated oxalis stands out not only for its bright flowering, but also for very small almost needle-like foliage. Today, the species, indigenous to southern Africa, is actively cultivated both as an indoor and greenhouse plant, and in the gardens of warm regions.

Oxalis obtusa

Another South African oxalis is an unpretentious indoor and garden species, characterized by its small size and many flower colors. A rosette with a diameter and height of no more than 10 cm, depending on the variety, can be decorated with acid flowers, as in the photo, cream, yellow or other shade.

In many varietal specimens, a ring of a color brighter than the background is noticeably closer to the center of the corolla.

Tuberous oxalis (Oxalis tuberosa)

In a long line of existing varieties, oxalis tuberous or, as the plant is called in its homeland, in South America, oka is not an ornamental, but an agricultural crop.

It is actively grown not for the sake of foliage or flowers, but thanks to its edible starchy tubers, which, in terms of nutritional value and yield, compete with the potatoes more familiar to Russians.

Depending on the cultivated variety of tuberous acid, the peasants of the countries of the Central American region collect tubers of white, yellowish, pink or purple hue. After collection, they are stored dried or eaten after all available types of culinary processing.

Convexula oxalis (Oxalis Convexula)

The popular indoor type of oxalis stands out for its modest size, fleshy small foliage and rather large, especially compared to leaves, flowers of a pink-salmon shade.At the disposal of florists are varieties not only with simple sour flowers, as in the photo, but also with terry corollas.

Adenophylla oxalis (Oxalis adenophylla)

Adenophyllum oxalis is known by the gardener as Chilean oxalis or silver shamrock. The plant with silvery foliage and pale pink flowers easily tolerates frost and can winter even in the middle zone. The culture is used on alpine slides and for border decoration.

Unusual colors and decorativeness of oxalis - video