Fl. Hibern. 58. — Ox a l is vulgaris , Gray’s Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. C30. — Oxalis alba , 
liay’s Syn. p. *281. — Johnson’s Gerardo, p. 1°01. 
Localities. — In woods, hedges, and among bushes on heaths, especially in 
shady places ; common. 
Perennial. — Flowers in April and May. 
Root horizontal, scaly, white, or often of a bright red colour, 
branched, with many very fine fibres. Stem none. Leaves ternate, 
on long, slender, hairy, radical, purplish petioles ; leaflets inversely 
heart-shaped, hairy, bright green above, often purplish beneath, 
drooping at night. Scape from 2 to 4 inches high, hairy, 1 -flowered, 
with 2 small opposite bracteas, considerably below the Hower. 
Flowers solitary, drooping, of a delicate white, beautifully veined 
with pink or purple ; the petals adhering together by a little glan- 
dular swelling, at each side of their short yellow claws, which are 
inserted into the receptacle separate and distinct. Stamens and 
Styles hair-like. Capsule egg-oblong, blunt, 5-celIed, 5-cornered, 
bursting longitudinally at the angles. Seeds 2, sometimes 3, in 
each cell, egg-shaped, compressed, blackish, shining ; invested by 
a Heshy white arillus, at first smooth, and closed on every side, but 
at length opening elastically at the tip, and rolling back, wrinkles 
up and throws off the seed with considerable force. 
It is said to vary with bluish and purple coloured flowers. See 
Ray's Syn. p. 281, ; and Merrett's Pinax, p. 90. This variety is 
smaller than the common one, and flowers later. 
Oxalis Acetosella is a delicate and pi et t y plant, native of other parts of Eu- 
rope, as well as of Britain; it is also found in Japan. Mr. Conns observes, 
that it continues to produce seeds during the gieatest part of the Summer, without 
any appeaiance of expanded blossoms. As soon as trie plant has done flower- 
ing, the scape bends down, but when the seed is ripe it again becomes upright. 
Linnxus retnaiks, that the flowers shut themselves up at the approach of rain ; 
be says, that “ even when the weather changes in a moment trotn sunshine to 
rain, though before expanded, they immediuU iy close.” The leaves are power- 
fully and gratefully acid, making a refreshing and wholesome conserve with tine 
sugar. Boiled with milk, they make an agreeable whey, which may be used in 
inflammatory diseases, iu which vegetable acids ate beneficial. They also afford 
the “ essential Salt of Lemons” used to take iron-moulds out of linen. 
Some Botanists are of opinion that this was the ancient shamrock of Ireland, 
as old authors say it was a sour indigenous plant, showing itself on St. Patimck’s 
day, and was eaten. 
The Natural Order, Oxalide.e, is composed of dicotyledonous 
herbaceous plants or under shrubs, with alternate, compound, or 
sometimes simple, leaves. Their calyx is formed of 5 equal, per- 
manent sepals, which are often united at the base- The corolla 
consists of 5, hypogynous, equal, unguiculate petals, which are 
twisted in the bud. The stamens are 10, and are frequently more 
or less combined, those opposite the petals longer than the others, 
and forming an inner series ; their anthers 2-celled, and innate. 
The ovary is free, with 5 angles, 5 cells, and 5 thread-shaped 
styles, with capitate or somewhat bifid stigmas. The fruit is a 
membranous capsule, of 5 cells, with from 5 to 1 0 valves, opening 
longitudinally at the angles. The seeds, which are few, are attached 
to the axis, and enclosed within a fleshy arillus, which curls back 
at the maturity of the fruit, and expels the seeds with elasticity. 
The albumen is between cartilaginous and fleshy ; the embryo in- 
verted, with a long superior radicle, and foliaceous cotyledons. 
