Oxalis stricta L.
O. ambigua A. Rich. Essai Fl. N.Z. 1832, 296.
O. divergens, lacicola, propinqua, urvillei -all of A. Cunn. In Ann. nat. Hist. 3, 1839, 315-316.
Erect or ascending, sts scrambling herb up to 2-(3) dm. tall, from a stout to slender sts multicipital stock merging into a long taproot. Lower branches wiry decumbent then ascending; upper ± spreading, glab. to pilose. Lvs trifoliolate, on slender glab. to pilose petioles up to 2 cm. or more long; stipules 0 or occ. present and minute. Lflts rather pale green, obovate, emarginate, cuneately narrowed to base, 8-10-(20) mm. diam., us. glabrate, margins sts ciliate, sinus us. rather broad. Peduncles up to ± 15 cm. long, (1)-5-(8)-fld; pedicels up to ± 1 cm. long; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, minute. Fls ± 5 mm. diam.; sepals narrow-ovate, subacute, ± 6 mm. long; petals yellow, obovate to cuneiform, ± 8 mm. long. Capsule 10-15 mm. long, cylindric, clad in long hairs or glabrate; styles persistent. Seeds several to many, brown, glossy.
DIST.: N., S. Dunes, lowland grassland and open places throughout.
FL.- FT. 11-4.
In N.Z. somewhat polymorphic, duration not established, not fully answering to the descriptions in American and European floras. Warburg (Fl. Brit. Isles 1952, 396) considers the sp. to be an escape in N.Z. Knuth (Pflanzenr. 95, 1930, 144) also expressed this opinion. The first record appears to be that of Richard in 1832.
