Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

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Oxalis thompsoniae

Common name

Fluffy-fruit Wood-sorrel

Family

Oxalidaceae

Where found

Lawns, gardens, and other disturbed sites. Widespread, mainly Sydney srea and ACT.

Notes

Perennial herb to 0.45 m high or sprawling to prostrate and creeping. Stems nearly hairless to moderately hairy, hairs mostly pointing forward (needs a hand lens or a macro app on your phone/tablet to see). Taproot probably absent; bulbs and bulbils absent. Leaves along the stems, with three bilobed leaflets each 0.3–1.6 cm long, 5–20 mm wide,  glaucous, hairless to hairy above, often more densely hairy below, margins fringed, the lobe tips rounded, 3–10 mm apart. Stipules conspicuous, 1–3 mm long, tips rounded, margins fringed. Flowers with 5 yellow petals each 4–12 mm long. Flowers in clusters of 1–6 flowers. Flowering: July–December. Seed cases 5–16 mm long, 2–4 mm in diameter; hairy, with short hairs pointing down and longer spreading hairs (needs a hand lens or a macro app on your phone/tablet to see).

Uncertain Status (native or naturalised) in the ACT and Vic.

Data deficient Vic.

Treated as native wherever else it occurs, including NSW.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Oxalis~thompsoniae  (accessed 29 January, 2021)