Oxalis laxa, commonly called dwarf woodsorrel, is a species of flowering plant from South America in the wood-sorrel family. It is an introduced weed in California.
Description Dwarf woodsorrel is an annual plant with fibrous roots. Its stems grow upwards to as much as 20 centimeters. It has leaves growing both from the base of the plant and attached to its stems by leaf stems as much as 5 cm long. Its leaves are divided into leaflets that are sparely hairy and about 1.3 cm long.
Its flowers have yellow, oblong petals less than 1.2 cm long. The fruit is an egg-shaped capsule to about 5 mm.
Taxonomy Oxalis laxa was scientifically described and named by William Jackson Hooker and George Arnott Walker Arnott in 1830. It is classified in the genus Oxalis as part of the family Oxalidaceae. It has no accepted varieties, but has four in its synonyms.
Table of Synonyms Name Year Rank Notes Acetosella alsinoides 1891 species = het. Acetosella brevicaulis 1891 species = het., not validly publ. Acetosella cumingii 1891 species = het. Acetosella dichotomiflora 1891 species = het. Acetosella laxa 1891 species ≡ hom. Acetosella micrantha 1891 species = het. Acetosella platycaulis 1891 species = het. Acetosella puberula 1891 species = het. Acetosella pygmaea 1891 species = het. Acetosella vinaquillo 1891 species = het. Oxalis adenocaulos 1893 species = het. Oxalis alsinoides 1843 species = het. Oxalis brevicaulis 1841 species = het., nom. nud. Oxalis campanensis 2000 species = het. Oxalis chosicensis 1919 species = het. Oxalis corniculata var. sericea 1919 variety = het. Oxalis cumingii 1832 species = het. Oxalis deflexa 1877 species = het. Oxalis dichotomiflora 1856 species = het. Oxalis geranioides 1919 species = het. Oxalis laxa var. hispidissima 1846 variety = het. Oxalis laxa var. major 1930 variety = het. Oxalis laxa var. minor 1845 variety = het. Oxalis laxa var. rigida 1845 variety = het. Oxalis laxa var. violacea 1930 variety = het. Oxalis micrantha 1829 species = het. Oxalis micrantha var. alsinoides 1930 variety = het. Oxalis micrantha var. major 1930 variety = het. Oxalis micrantha var. purpurea 1930 variety = het. Oxalis micrantha var. setifera 1919 variety = het. Oxalis platycaulis 1841 species = het. Oxalis puberula 1865 species = het., nom. illeg. Oxalis pubescens 1841 species = het., not validly publ. Oxalis pygmaea 1857 species = het., nom. illeg. Oxalis rigida 1988 species = het. Oxalis san-romani 1893 species = het. Oxalis torcana 1893 species = het. Oxalis vinaquillo 1856 species = het. Xanthoxalis laxa 1973 species ≡ hom. Xanthoxalis micrantha 1973 species = het. Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym ; = heterotypic synonym
Names Oxalis laxa is known by the common names dwarf woodsorrel or dwarf wood-sorrel.
Range Dwarf woodsorrel is native to Argentina, Chile, Peru, and the Juan Fernández Islands. It also is introduced in Ecuador. In North America it is an introduced weed in California and has been seen along the North Coast and the Sierra Nevada foothills at elevations of as much as .
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