Global description
Oxalis latifolia is a herbaceous plant, without external stem. It appears as a tuft of long-stalked leaves and small pink long stalked inflorescence emerging from a bulb. At the base of the bulb, develops a taproot and small underground stems, themselves carrying small bulbs. The leaves consist of three large terminal leaflets, spreading, triangular or heart shape. Sometimes they are folded at the central rib. The lamina is flexible. The petiole has an acid taste when it is chewed. Flowers, purple in color, are combined in groups at the end of a stem longer than the leaves. The fruit develops very rarely, releasing several seeds.
First Leaves
The first leaves are trifoliate, long-stalked, emerging from a scaly bulb. Notched or triangular leaflets with wedged base and flat or notched, divergent apex, having orange granulations.
Growth habit
Stemless grass, which is in the form of a small tuft, 20 to 30 cm high, with trifoliate triangular, long-stalked leaves and with long stalked inflorescences.
Underground System
Waxy white taproot, with well developed secondary formations, along with some rootlets. Globular or ovoid bulb, reaching up to 2.5 cm long and 2 cm wide. It is surrounded by large papery protective scales, and brown feeder scales, elliptical, narrow from 7 to 15 mm long and 4 to 6 mm wide. Stipules translucent to papery, red, with ciliated and glandular margins, with orange granulations. Rhizomes emerging from the base of the bulb carries white bulbils at the end.
Stem
Aerial stem absent. Underground stem reduced to the axis of the bulb.
Leaf
Fasciculate leaves in tuft, compound, with three terminal digitate leaflets, carried by a vertical petiole of 5 to 20 cm long. Green leaflets, purplish beneath. The blade is entire, sub sessile, obtriangular or notched at the top, 1 to 5 cm long and 2 to 7 cm wide. The base is wedged, the apex is narrow or notched, sometimes mucronate. The leaf blade is more or less folded along the midrib. Both sides are glabrous or sub glabrous, with the presence of orange granulations at the base of the lower face.
Inflorescence
The inflorescence is an umbelliform cyme, often bifid, carried by a long peduncle, 10-25 cm long. Bracts and bracteoles small, at the base of the umbel.
Flower
Purple flowers, with white to yellowish core, 10 to 15 mm in diameter, carried by a slender pedicel, 15 to 20 mm. The calyx is green, composed of 5 free, smooth, uneven sepals with orange or purple granulations. Corolla with 5 free petals, formed from a white claw and a pink purple lobe, spread on the widely rounded top. 10 hairy stamens, in 2 different sizes group. The ovary is superior with 5 fused carpels.
Fruit
Fruit is rarely developed. It is an oblong capsule, 4 to 8 mm long, dehiscent containing several seeds.
Seed
Seed ellipsoid of 1 mm long, brownish with rough seed coats.