Oxalis hirta L.

Common names: hairy oxalis (Eng.); suring (Afr.)

A vigorous, easy-to-grow, ornamental Oxalis with branched stems and attractive magenta-pink flowers in winter and spring.

Oxalis hirta is a geophyte which grows in winter and is dormant throughout the hot, dry summer, characteristic of the Mediterranean climate in the Western Cape. The rootstock is a small, conical bulb.

It has a leafy, often branching stem, 50 to 300 mm tall. The leaves are trifoliolate (in threes), grey-green; the leaflets are linear to obovate and hairy underneath. The branches and leaves are initially upright, but tend to flop over as they lengthen. The whole plant is softly hairy.

The flower stalks arise from the upper leaf axils, in autumn and early winter (April to June). The flowers are magenta red to violet purple, mauve or white, with a yellow tube.

This species is assessed as Least Concern (LC) and is endemic to South Africa.

Oxalis hirta can be found in the Western Cape, from the Bokkeveld Mountains to the Cape Peninsula, where it grows on sandy flats and lower mountain slopes.

Oxalis hirta | PlantZAfrica (sanbi.org)

 

 

 

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