Maureen Gilmer
Family
Oxalidaceae
Botanical Name
Oxalis triangularis ssp. papilionacea 'Jroxburwi'(CHARMED® WINE) PP17557
Plant Common Name
Charmed Wine False Shamrock, Purpleleaf False Shamrock
General Description
Distinguished by a dense, upright, uniformly mounding habit, wine purple foliage and free-flowering white blooms, Charmed® Wine is a great purple false shamrock for containers and partially shaded gardens. It was bred in 2001 by plant hybridizer Jo Retkes of Szombathely, Hungary as part of a planned Oxalis breeding program.
The purple false shamrock is a tender perennial grown for its unusual triangular, three-lobed leaves of green or purple and charming stems of small, five-petaled flowers. Native to southern Brazil, and perhaps adjacent northern Argentina, this little beauty is most often grown as a houseplant in temperate regions and a semi-evergreen groundcover where winters are mild.
The trifoliate leaves of this popular ornamental appear atop slender, succulent stems that rise from clusters of fleshy, scaly, stoloniferous and rhizomatous roots that form substantial clumps over time. Each leaflet is distinctively triangular and may come in shades of purple. In summer, slender stems topped with umbels of delicate, five-petaled flowers appear. These are pale lavender-pink and insect pollinated. The fruit is an inconspicuous capsule.
False shamrock is very easy to maintain. It grows best partial sun or partial shade and requires fertile soil that’s moist, but well-drained. It will tolerate more shade, but flowers less in lower light and has less intense leaf color. This is a wonderful low-maintenance container plant that delivers continuous color. It is also well-suited to rock or woodland gardens.
Some sites advocate eating the leaves and tubers of this plant but this is not advisable as it is very high in oxalic acid, a substance that is toxic in high quantities.
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
9 - 1
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USDA Hardiness Zone
8 - 11
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Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
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Plant Type
Bulb or Corm or Tuber
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Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade
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Height
20'-23' / 7.9in - 9.1in
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Width
35'-38' / 13.8in - 15.0in
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Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
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Native To
Hybrid Origin, Argentina, Brazil
Ornamental Features
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Flower Interest
Showy
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Flower Color
White
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Foliage Color (Spring)
Purple
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Foliage Color (Spring) Modifier
Variegated
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Foliage Color (Summer)
Purple
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Foliage Color (Summer) Modifier
Variegated
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Foliage Color (Fall)
Purple
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Foliage Color (Fall) Modifier
Variegated
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Foliage Color (Winter)
Purple
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Foliage Color (Winter) Modifier
Variegated
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Fragrant Flowers
No
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Fragrant Fruit
No
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Fragrant Foliage
No
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Bark or Stem Fragrant
No
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Flower Petal Number
Single
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Repeat Bloomer
Yes
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Showy Fruit
No
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Edible Fruit
No
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Showy Foliage
Yes
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Foliage Texture
Medium
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Foliage Sheen
Matte
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Evergreen
No
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Showy Bark
No
