Oxalis debilis var. corymbosa (DC.) Lourteig

Global description

Oxalis debilis is a plant growing in small clumps. The stem is underground and bulbous. It has a bunch of leaves, carried by a long petiole with long flexuous hairs. The leaves are rounded and composed of 3 large leaflets of the shape of large heart, spread at the end of the petiole and folded along a central rib. The flowers are supported by an axis as long as or longer than the leaves. They are purple in color and are radiating at the end of the axis.
 
First leaves

First leaves are trifoliate, long-stalked, emerging from a scaly bulb. Notched leaflets with rounded lobes with wedged base and notched apex, wearing orange crystals on the underside.
 
General habit

Grass in tuft of 10-30 cm in height without aerial stem, formed of trifoliate, rounded, long-stalked leaves and of pink, long stalked inflorescences.
 
Underground system

White taproot. Bulb globular, oblong or ovoid, with brown or red protective scales, scarious, oval, of 7 to 11 mm long and 3-5 mm wide, stiff, accuminate, often covered with orange granuations and with translucent margin covered with  long, soft and brown bristles of 4mm,. Scarious stipules with ciliated margin of 13 mm long and 2 mm wide. Short lateral rhizomes connecting with bulbs.
 
Stem

Aerial stem absent. Underground stem reduced to the axis of the bulb.
 
Leaf

Fasciculate, composed leaves in tuft, carried by a petiole, cylindrical of 30 cm long, with loose pubescence. Blade with three very shortly petiolulated leaflets (0.25 to 1 mm), notched, of 3 to 5 cm long and 2.5 to 4.5 cm wide. Wide angled leaflet at the base, emarginate at the top up to 1/9 to 1/5 of their length, with very rounded lobes. The margin is entire. Loose hairs on the underside, top side hairless. Pinnately veined. Presence of tiny translucent crystals, forming small, orange or purple dots, scattered on the lamina and more visible underneath.
 
Inflorescence

The inflorescence is a bifid cyme, with unequal branches, asymmetric or umbelliform of 3-15 flowers, atop a peduncle reaching up to 45 cm long, with long scattered hair. Opposite bracts, 2 to 5 mm long and 2 to 2.5 mm wide and small bracteoles with granulations located on the hairy joint at the base of the pedicel.
 
Flower

The flowers are borne by unequal pedicels of 0.5 to 3 cm long. Calyx with 5 greenish, subequal, linear to elliptic sepals, with 2 or 4 orange and linear granulations, 4 to 7 mm long and 0.75 to 1.3 mm wide. Corolla with 5 obovate petals of 1 cm long, with rounded top, purple pink in colour, white to greenish base. 10 stamens with filaments expanded towards the base, the longs are 4.5 mm, hairy and glandular towards the top and the short are of 3 mm, smooth and welded over 1/3 of their length.
 
Fruit

The fruit is a cylindrical capsule, slim and hairless, with 5 longitudinal loculus containing 3-10 seeds. The fruit rarely develops.
 
Seed

Seed ellipsoid, 1 mm long, with rough integument.

Origin

Oxalis debilis is native to Central and South America.

Worldwide distribution

This species is now common in North America, Western Europe, North and East Africa, the Indian Ocean islands, Asia to Australia and the Pacific islands.