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Oxalidaceae FAMILY

Oxalis frutescens

Oxalis frutescens

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

The leaves contain oxalic acid, which gives them their sharp flavour. Perfectly all right in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since oxalic acid can bind up the body's supply of calcium leading to nutritional deficiency. The quantity of oxalic acid will be reduced if the leaves are cooked. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitShrub
Growth—

Easily grown in a sandy soil in a warm dry position[2].

Propagation

Seed - Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Oxalis+frutescens>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  2. [2]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  3. [3]Flora del Bajío y de Regiones Adyacentes — Jerzy Rzedowski & Graciela Calderón de Rzedowski (Editors) · Instituto de Ecología A.C. Centro Regional del Bajío; Mexico · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ · ISBN 0188-5170 ↩︎Spanish-language flora of northwestern Mexico. It can be downloaded from the Internet
  4. [4]Flore de L'Ile de la Reunion — E. Jacob De Cordemoy · Librairie Medicale & Scientifique; Paris. · 1895 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Not really a flora, more a list of the plants known at that time. It often includes a brief description of habit and habitat, plus the local uses of the plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  5. [5]Flora of Dominica, Part 2: Dicotyledoneae — Nicolson D.H.; et al · Smithsonian Institute Press; Washington · 1991 · http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/Botany/ · ISBN 90-10415 ↩︎A terse but very useful flora with a somewhat limited botanical description plus range, habitat and some uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  6. [6]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  7. [7]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.