WOOD-SORREL.— Oxalis acefosella. 



Class Decandria. Order Pentagyxia. Nat. Orel. Oxalide.2. 

 Wood-Sorrel Tribe. 



No native plant has leaves so acid as those 

 of the Wood-sorrel. The acid resembles that 

 of the lemon ; hence the leaf is very pleasant in 

 flavour, and is not only relished by the rambler 

 in the woods, but is used in salads. A useful 

 medicinal drink is also made of its juice ; and 

 a poisonous salt procured from it removes 

 stains from linen. The plant blooms in May, 

 and is abundant in woods and shady places. 

 When growing on high mountains it continues 

 in flower until August. Curtis has observed 

 a very singular cu'cumstance respecthig its 

 seed-vessel. He says that it continues, during 

 the greater part of the summer, to produce 

 seed-vessels and seeds, without any appearance 

 of expanded blossoms, which are observable at 

 one season only of the year. When the blossom 

 is over, the flower-stalk bends down, but be- 

 comes upright again as soon as the seed has 

 ripened. When the seed-vessel is touched, 

 the seeds are thrown to a great distance, not, 



