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Also known as Eurasian weed, wood sorrel, and Bermuda buttercup. Often confused for clovers (particularly shamrocks). You can differentiate them by their heart-shaped leaves. (Clovers are edible too, so don't worry.) Unlike clovers (which are part of the legume family), they do not seem to be nitrogen-fixers. | |||
The ones I've seen in California have yellow flowers. (Jessica used to pick these for Mom.) However, they apparently can have purple or white flowers too. Flowers have five petals. | |||
Tastes lemony. | From the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis Oxalis] family. Websites often warn about the presence of oxalic acid, which can inhibit calcium absorption and can cause kidney stones. However, the warnings are overstated.<ref>Sam Sycamore. [http://thegoodliferevival.com/blog/wood-sorrel "How to Identify Wood Sorrel — Foraging for Edible Wild Greens."]</ref> Common foods, such as spinach and broccoli, have more oxalic acid than wood sorrel, and apparently cooking mitigates the effect anyway. It is a diuretic, though. It also has a lot of vitamin C.<ref>Bonnie Grant. [https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/yellow-woodsorrel-uses.htm "Is Yellow Woodsorrel Edible: Taking Advantage Of Yellow Woodsorrel Uses."]</ref> | ||
Tastes lemony, like sorrel, but unrelated. Use them fresh in salads, cooked, in tea, etc. The whole plant is edible. | |||
How invasive is it? This March 2015 ''Bay Nature'' [https://baynature.org/article/a-natural-history-of-that-little-yellow-flower-thats-everywhere-right-now/ piece] suggests it's a scourge, which this [https://milliontrees.me/2015/05/15/five-reasons-its-okay-to-love-oxalis-and-stop-poisoning-it/ article] disputes, claiming that it's good for pollinators and co-exists well with other plants. It tends to grow in disturbed soil, which is why it pops up in gardens. [http://cnps-yerbabuena.org/oxalis/ This piece] offers the best description of how it propagates and how to remove it — pulling it tenaciously will weaken the bulbs over time, and after five-ish years, they should be under control. | |||
= References = | |||
<references /> | |||
= See Also = | |||
* [http://www.eattheweeds.com/oxalis-how-to-drown-your-sorrels/ Oxalis: How to Drown Your Sorrels] | |||
[[Category:Foraging]] [[Category:Food]] | |||
Latest revision as of 15:24, 28 February 2023
Also known as Eurasian weed, wood sorrel, and Bermuda buttercup. Often confused for clovers (particularly shamrocks). You can differentiate them by their heart-shaped leaves. (Clovers are edible too, so don't worry.) Unlike clovers (which are part of the legume family), they do not seem to be nitrogen-fixers.
The ones I've seen in California have yellow flowers. (Jessica used to pick these for Mom.) However, they apparently can have purple or white flowers too. Flowers have five petals.
From the Oxalis family. Websites often warn about the presence of oxalic acid, which can inhibit calcium absorption and can cause kidney stones. However, the warnings are overstated.[1] Common foods, such as spinach and broccoli, have more oxalic acid than wood sorrel, and apparently cooking mitigates the effect anyway. It is a diuretic, though. It also has a lot of vitamin C.[2]
Tastes lemony, like sorrel, but unrelated. Use them fresh in salads, cooked, in tea, etc. The whole plant is edible.
How invasive is it? This March 2015 Bay Nature piece suggests it's a scourge, which this article disputes, claiming that it's good for pollinators and co-exists well with other plants. It tends to grow in disturbed soil, which is why it pops up in gardens. This piece offers the best description of how it propagates and how to remove it — pulling it tenaciously will weaken the bulbs over time, and after five-ish years, they should be under control.
