Oxalis violacea
West Indian sorrel ( Oxalis violacea )
West Indian sorrel ( Oxalis violacea ) is a species of the genus sorrel ( Oxalis ). It is native to the United States and is used as an ornamental plant and eaten by humans. The parts of the plant contain oxalic acid.
Description
Appearance and leaf
Oxalis violacea grows as a perennial herbaceous plant. This Geophyt forms underground, studded with scales tubers as outlasting with which clonal stocks can be formed. There are formed on the tubers fiber roots.
The basal leaves are divided into petiole and leaf blade. The approximately 10 cm long petiole is purple and bald hairy until fluffy. The three-part leaf blade opens by day. Fitting the simple leaves are inverted - heart-shaped with a length of about 2 cm and a width of about 2.5 cm. The bare to späarlich fluffy hairy leaves can be on top of deep - green to purple - green and purple on the bottom. The colder it is and the higher the sunlight is all the purple are the leaves.
Inflorescence and flower
Direct from the tuber is an approximately 15 cm long, erect, whitish - green sometimes formed with pink tones, bald until fluffy hairy inflorescence stem which is longer than the leaves. The terminal, doldige inflorescence contains a few (two to five ) flowers. Most one to two flowers of the inflorescence are open at the same time. The up to 1 cm long, thin flower stems are hairy bare to sparse fluffy.
The flowering period extends, for example, in Illinois from mid-spring to early summer and lasts about one to two months, sometimes Oxalis violacea blooms again in the fall. The flowers open in the morning ( 8:00 to 9:30 ) and close again in the afternoon (16:00 to 18:00). The flowers have no scent. The hermaphrodite flowers are radial symmetry, bell-shaped and fünfzählig double perianth. The five greenish, typically bare sepals are subulate, with a length of 5 mm, entire, and provided at the top with an orange ground. The corolla has a diameter of about 8 mm. The five bare petals are fused at their base. The approximately 2 cm long and about 7 mm wide, lanceolate petals are wrong and have a blunt to truncated upper end which sometimes curves back. The petals are purple and yellow and green at their base. Two groups of five stamens present, with that of a circle having a different length than that of the other circle. The stamens are fused at its base and at its base is in each case a nectar gland. The yellow anthers are already open when unfold the petals. Five carpels are fused to a constant above, fünfkammerigen ovary. There are five free pen available. In the self-incompatible Oxalis violacea is available Heterostylie, which means in a part of the flower are the five pen significantly shorter than the stamens and the other part of the five pens are significantly longer than the stamens. Pollination is by insects.
Fruit and seeds
The up to 6 mm long fruit capsule opens elastic at vertical seams with five subjects. Sometimes the brown seeds are shot a few centimeters beyond.
Dissemination
Oxalis violacea is in the United States in the states of Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, southern Michigan, New Jersey, southeastern New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, eastern Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, eastern Nebraska, Oklahoma, southern South Dakota, Wisconsin, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, New Mexico, Texas and Arizona before. In some countries, Oxalis violacea has run wild.
Taxonomy
The first publication of Oxalis violacea was made in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum, 1, p 434.
Use
Oxalis violacea is used as an ornamental plant.
The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. The sour - salty leaves are eaten raw in salads and sandwiches or cooked as a cooking spice. Since the leaves contain oxalic acid, they should not be used in excessive quantities. The flowers are eaten raw and are an attractive and well -tasting garnish on salads. The underground plant parts are eaten raw or cooked. A drink with lemon flavor is made from the leaves.
The medical effects have been investigated.