(Sorrel)

(Wood Sorrel)

Commonly dubbed “wood sorrel”, many would take one look at its bright green, trifoliate leaves and call it “Irish shamrock”, though this small, mat-forming perennial is native to areas far beyond Ireland. In fact, it can be found growing in temperate woodlands across the expanse of the Northern Hemisphere.

Wood sorrel grows from small bulb-like rhizomes that go dormant in winter or during periods of drought. In spring, light green leaves with three heart-shaped leaflets blanket the ground. The...

(Chilean Wood Sorrel, Pink Buttercups, Pink Carpet Oxalis, Silver Shamrock)

The pretty shamrock-like leaves of Chilean wood sorrel are powdery gray-green and contrast beautifully with its fuchsia and white flowers that appear from spring to early fall. This tidy, clump forming perennial is native to the Chilean and Argentinean Andes, so it grows best where summers are milder.

Chilean wood sorrel grows from small bulbs covered with thin hairs. It is usually dormant for part of the year, from either winter cold or prolonged drought. It's clover-like leaves are made up...

(Sorrel, Wood Sorrel)

Pink sorrel has beautiful shamrock foliage and rosy-pink flowers with darker throats that bloom in flushes from spring to fall. Native to a vast expanse of southern South America, this tender perennial grows from hard, woody rhizomes (underground stems) that penetrate deep in the soil and allow it to withstand drought.

The plant forms a clump of green, trifoliate leaves that rise from slender, fleshy stems atop the spreading, rhizomatous roots. Umbels of flowers appear through summer and...

(White Sorrel)

Blooming in flushes from spring to fall, white sorrel has the traditional shamrock leaves but with white blossoms. Native to a vast expanse of southern South America, this tender perennial grows from hard, woody rhizomes (underground stems) deep in the soil, allowing it to withstand droughts.

The plant grows in a clump of green leaves with the flowers held slightly above them and facing upward. Each flower has five petals, oval or wedge-shaped, and colored white with a tiny yellow eye. Blooming...

(Pink Wood Sorrel)

Pink sorrel has beautiful shamrock foliage and rosy-pink flowers with darker throats that bloom in flushes from spring to fall. Native to a vast expanse of southern South America, this tender perennial grows from hard, woody rhizomes (underground stems) that penetrate deep in the soil and allow it to withstand drought.

The plant forms a clump of green, trifoliate leaves that rise from slender, fleshy stems atop the spreading, rhizomatous roots. Umbels of flowers appear through summer and...

(Bowie's Wood Sorrel, Red-flowering Oxalis)

Bearing lush leaves that resemble shamrocks, this tender bulbous perennial is native to eastern South Africa.

The leathery rich green leaves have three broad heart-shaped lobes. They are held atop tall, thin, upright or lax stems that arise directly from the narrow pointed bulbs. The foliage may die back in chilly winters or dry summers. Dainty, cup-shaped, vivid magenta-fuchsia flowers herald the autumn months, sometimes continuing into winter. The five-petaled blossoms are borne singly or...

(Brazilian Sorrel)

With low-growing green leaves that look like luscious shamrocks, Brazilian sorrel's dainty but vivid violet-magenta flowers with darker edges occur in early spring's warmth. A mat-forming perennial that spreads itself in the landscape, it is native to the warm highlands of interior southern Brazil. It grows from bulbs and although multiplying and reseeding, it is a nuisance weed that naturalizes in mild winter areas, such as southern Japan and southeastern Australia.

The leathery bright light...

(Palm Tree Oxalis)

(Oregon Oxalis, Redwood Sorrel)

This low, rampant, evergreen perennial from coastal forests of western North America forms dense ground-covering masses of "shamrock" leaves.

Light- to dark-green leaves with three heart-shaped leaflets are borne on short petioles that arise from slender, rapidly spreading rhizomes. White or pink, lilac-veined, five-petaled flowers appear from spring to fall on upright stems that just clear the leaves. Plants may cease flowering during hot dry spells. Small rounded seedpods follow the flowers,...