OXALIS 



THE BULB BOOK 



OXALIS 



hardy, although nearly so. Most of 

 them, however, are easily grown in a 

 sunny frame or greenhouse, and when 

 at rest require no attention beyond 

 protection from frost. Some kinds, 

 perhaps more especially the fibrous- 

 rooted ones, which are not dealt with 

 in this volume, increase with great 

 freedom, and often become trouble- 

 some, as they encroach upon space 

 required by other plants. In most 

 cases, it is easy to propagate the 

 plants either by dividing the tuberous 

 root-stocks and detaching the offsets, 

 or by sowing seeds. They are 

 effective grown as edgings to plant 

 stages in the greenhouse, or, when 

 hardy, in nooks in the rock-garden, 

 or as an edging. Light rich sandy 

 soil is suitable in most cases. The 

 following are some of the best tuber- 

 ous-rooted kinds : 



O. adenophylla. This species, with 

 bulb-like root-stocks covered with 

 matted fibres, resembles 0. ennea- 

 phylla, but is larger in every way, 

 and the flowers are pink or rose- 

 purple with a darker zone at the 

 base (Eat. May. t. 8054 ; Gard. Chron. 

 1906, xl. 14). 



This is a very rare species, and one 

 that seems to be difficult to grow 

 possibly because it is coddled too 

 much. Treated like 0. enneaphylla 

 it would probably flourish. 



O. arenaria. A Chilian species 

 about 4 ins. high, having scaly 

 rhizomes forming an ovoid tuber as 

 large as a hazel nut, and leaves with 

 three to four deeply heart-shaped 

 leaflets, and bright violet - purple 

 flowers over 1 in. across, three to ten 

 on a stalk, produced in March. 

 Almost quite hardy. (Bot. May. t. 

 6193.) 



O. articulata. A distinct Brazilian 

 Wood -Sorrel, with bulb-like root- 

 stocks, grey - green three - foliolate 

 leaves, and umbels of sweet-scented 



pale lilac flowers in June and July 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 6748). Greenhouse or 

 frame. 



O. Bowlel. A fine bulbous-rooted 

 perennial from S. Africa , having the 

 leaves divided into three bluntly 

 heart-shaped leaflets, slightly downy 

 beneath. About a dozen rich rosy -red 

 flowers, each lj ins. across, with a 

 yellowish base, are produced during 

 July and August. (Lodd. Bot. Cab. 

 t. 1782 ; Bot. Reg. t. 1585 ; Garden, 

 1890, i. 755.) This species is often 

 used for bedding -out during the 

 summer months. 



O. brasiliensis. A fine Brazilian 

 species, with brilliant crimson-purple 

 flowers, on stems 6 to 9 ins. high in 

 May and June (Lodd. Bot. Cab. t. 

 1962). Frame or greenhouse. 



O. cernua. A South African 

 species with bulb-like root-stocks, 

 three-lobed leaves, and umbels of 

 yellow flowers about li ins. across 

 (Lodd. Bot. Cab. t. 1154). The 

 variety /ore pleno has double flowers. 



O. crenata. A Peruvian plant 

 with top-like tuberous and scaly 



FIG. 288. Oxalis crenata, bulb. 



root-stocks, three-lobed leaves, and 

 large yellow flowers striped with 

 purple, the petals being crenulate. 



O. Deppei. A Mexican plant hav- 

 ing scaly tuberous root-stocks, four- 

 lobed leaves blotched with purple at 

 the base of the leaflets, and umbels 

 having ten to twenty coppery-red 

 flowers yellowish at the base (Lodd. 

 Bot. Cab. t. 1500). Frame. The 

 root-stocks of this plant are cultivated 

 as an article of diet abroad. 



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