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Oxalis deppei - Loddiges.

Iron Cross Plant

Author	Loddiges.	Botanical references	200
Family	Oxalidaceae	Genus	Oxalis
Synonyms
Known 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[238].
Range	Southern N. America - Mexico. Occasionally established in Europe.
Habitat	Not known
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Bulb growing to 0.3m by 0.1m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves; Root.

Leaves and flowers - raw or cooked[2, 37, 183]. A delicious lemony flavour, the leaves are tender and fairly free of fibres even when they get older[K]. Both the leaves and the flowers make a very refreshing and thirst-quenching munch in the garden, they also make an excellent flavouring in salads[K]. The leaves are available from June to October and the flowers from July to October, or even later in mild autumns[K]. Use in moderation, see notes at top of sheet. Root - raw or cooked[1, 2, 27, 37, 183]. The roots are up to 10cm long and 3cm wide at the top, they are tender and juicy but usually insipid[K]. Occasionally the root has a pleasant acid flavour, we have yet to find out what causes the difference[K].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, preferring a sandy soil in a warm dry position[1, 27, 37]. It dislikes dry or heavy soils[37]. Dislikes lime[37]. Prefers a southerly aspect[37]. This species is only hardy outdoors in the milder areas of Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c or perhaps a bit lower if the soil is very well-drained. The bulbs are easily harvested in late autumn, however, and can be stored overwinter in a cool frost free place, replanting them in the spring[K]. In milder winter areas a good mulch is usually sufficient to see the bulbs through the winter and they will then normally be more productive of leaves and flowers in the following year. Plants have survived the winter for several years without a mulch on our trial grounds in Cornwall[K]. A very ornamental plant, flowering freely all summer[1, K]. It was formerly cultivated in Mexico for its edible tuber[46] (this may be a mistaken entry that should have referred to O. tuberosa. Whilst the root of this plant is edible it is neither productive nor very flavourful. The leaves and the flowers are far superior[K]). This species is closely related to and probably part of O. tetraphylla[200], differing only in its sessile bulbils and truncate leaves[50].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in late spring or early summer. Our plants have never produced seed. Division in autumn, harvest the bulbs and replant in the spring. They usually increase very freely.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Alternative Food Crops, Edible Ornamental Plants, Plant portrait - Oxalis deppei, The Urban Garden , Alternative Edible Leaves, Edible Flowers.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press 0 ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. 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.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Plant portrait - Oxalis deppei

Juana del Castillo

(In Spanish: Si quieren recopilar mas informacion acerca del uso de esta planta pueden ponerse en contacto con la Universidad de La Laguna, en las Islas Canarias. Ellos poseen amplia informacion sobre la misma y sobre su historia y usos. Esta planta tuvo

Canary Islands. Cost area between 0-300 m up the level of the sea. Poor soil, sandy and salty.

Oxalis deppei

elle Mon Nov 27 2006

I didn't enjoy the sharp taste, but then again I'm not mad on sorrel either. Hardy in London. 4-leaf clover type leaves are quite ornamental, flowers are fuschia-pink but fairly small and not numerous.

Oxalis deppei

Mike Fri Mar 13 2009

Plant & Grdening Tips For more information on growing and caring for Oxalis (Shamrock)

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