SORREL FAMILY. Oxalidacese. 



One of the commonest yellow son els of 



Sor!e7or ^ the n rth ' nOt a woodland P lant but f amil- 

 Lady's Sorrel * ar ^7 eveI T roadside and in every field and 

 Oxalis garden. The light green stem erect, rather 



comiculata smooth, or sparingly hairy (viewed under 

 e *JT t the glass) ; the leaves of three heart-shaped 

 ber " ' leaflets (smaller than those of the last spe- 



cies), long-stemmed and somewhat droop- 

 ing ; without small leafy formations at the junction of 

 leaf-stem and plant-stem. The rather deep lemon yellow 

 flowers scarcely inch broad, with five long ovate petals 

 and ten yellow stamens alternately long and short ; the 

 heart of the blossom is green. There are 2-6 flowers 

 on a somewhat horizontally spreading, branched stem, 

 which are succeeded by hairy seed-pods -J- inch long set 

 at scarcely a wide angle with their stalks. Visited by 

 the smaller bees, and Syrphld flies, and also occa- 

 sionally by the tiny butterflies (Hesperia). 3-12 inches 

 high, with a weak stem but strong root. The O. cor- 

 niculata, var. stricta, of the sixth ed. of Gray's Manual. 



A far less common species, an -annual or 

 Yellow Wood . . . * ' 



Sorrel or perennial, sustaining itself by far-reaching 



Lady's Sorrel running roots. Generally less upright 

 Oxalis stricta than the last. With leafy formations at the 

 May-Septem- baseg of the i ea f-stalks. Pods elongated, 

 and erect, often set at a sharp angle 

 with their stalks. In other respects very similar to the 

 foregoing species, but rare ; near Burlington, Vt. 



A tall species with a nearly smooth stem 

 Oxalis grandis , , , , .,, , 



Yellow and branches, or these covered with soft 



May-August fine hairs. The leaflets large, often 1J 



inches broad, sometimes edged with dull 

 magenta. The yellow flowers often f inch broad. 12-20 

 inches high. Sandy woodlands and river margins, Pa. 

 to 111. , and south. 



A very Blender species blooming in the 



same season, the stem sparingly hairy, and 

 the stems of the yellow flowers threadlike, the clusters 

 mostly two-flowered. 9-18 inches high. In sandy wood- 

 lands, s. Me. to n. N. Y., Conn, south. O. repens is a 

 prostrate, creeping form confined mostly to greenhouses. 

 236 



