![]() Infested container stock can contaminate uninfested landscapes. IMPACT Creeping WoodsorrelĬreeping woodsorrel is a major weed in turf, ornamental plantings, and nurseries. ![]() Bermuda buttercup reproduces vegetatively by bulbs and spreads when plants are divided or soil containing the bulbs is moved to uninfested areas. Foliage dies and the bulbs become dormant when temperatures rise in late spring and summer. Viable seed never has been documented in California, and rarely has it been seen anywhere else in world. The flowers are bright yellow, 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, and are borne on top of a leafless stalk rising 6 to 12 inches tall. Bermuda buttercup also can produce a lateral stem (runner) that forms a new, aboveground plant.įlowers appear in late winter or early spring. A plant forms about a dozen small bulbs per year, each less than 1 inch long. Small, whitish bulblets develop on the stem at the base of the rosette of leaves, and new bulbs form underground. The leaves are comprised of 3 heart-shaped leaflets and are larger and more succulent than those of creeping woodsorrel they often are spotted with purple dots. Leaves form a loose basal rosette on the soil surface. The plant forms a single, short, vertical stem that is mostly underground. It develops from bulbs that sprout and grow in the fall. It grows upright and is larger and showier than creeping woodsorrel. Bermuda Buttercup (Buttercup Oxalis)īermuda buttercup is a perennial that grows in full sun in cool coastal areas, but inland it grows primarily in semishaded sites. Pieces of roots and prostrate stems can develop into new plants when conditions are favorable. If you pull creeping woodsorrel from the ground, the taproot or stolons often break off and remain in the soil, allowing the plant to regrow. Extremely cold or hot temperatures reduce growth but won’t kill the plants. Seedlings begin flowering in about 4 weeks. Creeping woodsorrel grows rapidly, forming a fleshy taproot and an extensive root system that expands outward. Seedlings have 2 round leaves, and the first true leaves are a replica of the mature, heart-shaped leaflets. Moist, hot conditions inhibit seed germination for example, 4 hours of moist heat at 97☏ decreases germination by 96%, while 8 hours stops it altogether. It isn’t known how long seeds remain viable in the soil. Seeds can germinate any time of year in California, but most plant establishment takes place in fall. Optimum seed germination occurs between 60° and 80☏, although it can occur at lower temperatures. Because seeds are rough, they can stick to machinery, plastic pots, irrigation tubing, and clothing. When seedpods mature, they rupture, and seeds are forcefully expelled, landing up to 10 feet from the plant. There are about 10 to 50 seeds per pod, with a potential for more than 5,000 seeds per plant. Seeds are oval, flat, rough, reddish brown sometimes with gray spots, and about 1/25 inch long. Seedpods are erect, hairy, cylindrical capsules with a pointed tip about 1/3 to 1 inch long and resemble miniature okra. The flowers have 5 small, yellow petals about 1/8- to 1/3-inch long that are borne singly in small clusters of 2 to 5 flowers on the ends of short, slender stalks. If creeping woodsorrel plants are stressed due to drought or intense heat, the leaves sometimes turn reddish and wilt.Ĭreeping woodsorrel can bloom almost any time during the year, although spring is a time of heavy flowering and seed formation. Leaves are green to purple and often close and fold downward in intense light and at night. The leaves are comprised of 3 heart-shaped leaflets attached to the tip of a long stem. It grows in both full sun and shade if the area receives adequate moisture. IDENTIFICATION AND LIFE CYCLE Creeping WoodsorrelĪ perennial plant that lives for several seasons, creeping woodsorrel grows in a prostrate manner (low and creeping) and forms roots and stems where nodes contact the soil. If livestock ingest large quantities, they can suffer from oxalate poisoning. The genus name Oxalis is derived from the Greek word meaning “sour,” referring to the sour-tasting oxalic acid present throughout the plants. In recent years it has been encroaching in natural areas and hillside plantings along California’s coast. Bermuda buttercup, also called Buttercup oxalis, has been cultivated as an ornamental, and although you’ll occasionally find it in lawns, more often it is a problem in flowerbeds, groundcovers, and shrub areas in home landscapes or in commercial, field-grown flowers. pes-caprae, is a South African native that grows in California’s coastal gardens and fields as well as inland landscaped areas. In California it usually grows below the 2,500-foot elevation level and frequently appears in lawns, flower beds, gardens, nurseries, and greenhouses.Ī related species, Bermuda buttercup, O. ![]() Creeping woodsorrel, Oxalis corniculata, is a weed species that occurs in many parts of the world.
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