- Plants
- ›Vascular Plants
- ›flowering plants
- ›Dicots
- ›Woodsorrels, Quandongs, and Allies
- ›Woodsorrel Family
- ›Oxalis
- ›Oxalis
- ›Ionoxalis

fourleaf pink-sorrel
Oxalis tetraphylla
Oxalis tetraphylla (often traded under its synonym O. deppei) is a bulbous herbaceous perennial plant from Mexico. It is sometimes sold as lucky clover or shamrock (though it is neither a clover nor a shamrock). In the wild or feral state it is often called four-leaved wood-sorrel after its family, Oxalidaceae. Other English common names for this plant include Lucky Clover, Four-Leaf Sorrel, Four-Leaf Pink-Sorrel and others. It is sometimes called "the iron cross plant" or "oxalis iron cross" because the leaves loosely resemble the iron cross symbol, though this name is not a classic folk term and has fallen out of favour due to the bad political connotations associated with this symbol.
It is in the same genus as the common wood-sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) and has three wild variants: var. tetraphylla (autonym) distributed in the states of Veracruz, México, Morelos and Michoacán, var. mexicana native to Hidalgo and Guerrero regions and var. guerreroensis native to Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacán and Colima regions.
From the article Oxalis tetraphylla on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
How it is grown
Oxalis tetraphylla var. tetraphylla is the variety most commonly used as an ornamental plant, either potted or in gardens as ground cover. The other two variants are very similar and their green parts (and flowers) look practically identical. All variants of this plant are also edible, the flowers and leaves having a sharp lemon flavour. However, since the oxalic acid in the plant can interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients in the body, especially calcium, too much can be harmful.
Hardiness zones: 7 - 10 Heat zones: 8 - 9 Climate zones: 7 - 24 Lifecycle: Bulbous perennial Propagation: It multiplies through bulb divisions or through seeds. Sun exposure: Full sun, Partial sun, does not tolerate shade Water needs: Average Soil drainage: well-drained, bulb rot can occur is the soil is soggy Soil type: Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sandy Soil pH: from acid to alkaline (6.1 - 7.8), acidity lowers nutrient intake Additional nutrients: Are usually unnecessary, only for plants growing in nutrient-poor environments or small pots. Use slow-release fertilisers when the plant is not dormant or NPK 5-10-5 type fertilisers in late-spring to encourage blooming. Height: 6" - 1' (15 cm - 30 cm) Spread: 4" - 6" (10 cm - 15 cm) Depth: 3" (7 cm) Uses: Edging, Ground cover, Patio and Containers If planted in early spring it will grow and flower throughout spring and summer. …
Wikipedia: “Cultivation”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Oxalis tetraphylla in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 291533.