Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 185 



WOOD SORREL FAMILY (Oxalidaceae). 

 A small family of low, recumbent herbs with trifoli- 

 ate leaves and perfect, regular flowers. 



WHITE WOOD SORREL (Oxalis Acetosella) is 

 one of the most delicate and dainty of our woodland 

 flowers. It is commonly found in cool, damp situa- 

 tions and is very partial to mountainous regions. The 

 flowers are very frail looking, about an inch broad, 

 borne on long slender peduncles from the root; the 

 five, spreading petals are white, veined with crimson, 

 giving the flower a delicate pinkish blush. The leaves 

 are also on long, slender petioles from the root; they 

 are trifoliate or clover-like, each of the three leaflets 

 being inversely heart-shaped, that is, with the end 

 notched and with two rounded lobes. White Wood 

 Sorrel is found from N. S. to Saskatchewan and 

 south to N. E., N. Y. and in mountains to N. C. 



VIOLET WOOD SORREL (Oxalis violacea) is a 



very dainty species, perhaps more beautiful than the 

 preceding. The long slender flower stalks bear at 

 their summits three or more pale magenta flowers, 

 while those of the last species have but one. The 

 flowers are very similar except in color, but are a 

 trifle smaller than those of the white species. 



The leaves of both these sorrels are very sensitive 

 and fold up, if handled; they also close at dusk and 

 only open when the suns rays beam on them the fol- 

 lowing morning. The juices of these plants are very 

 acid; the well known Oxalic acid is obtained from the 

 leaves of both these kinds of sorrel. 



These Sorrels bear cleistogamous flowers at their 

 bases, that is, flowers that fertilize themselves in 

 the bud and never open. The roots are perennial, 

 creeping and scaly-toothed. 



