Oxalis pes-caprae
L.
Oxalidaceae
Common Name: Bermuda Buttercup
General Information
Oxalis pes-caprae is a perennial plant growing about 20cm tall and spreading rapidly to form large carpets of growth.
The flowers, leaves and bulbs are all edible, being gathered from the wild and consumed locally.
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- Title
- Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bown. D.
- Publisher
- Dorling Kindersley, London.
- Year
- 1995
- ISBN
- 0-7513-020-31
- Description
- 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.
].
Botanical References
73- Title
- Flora of the Cape Peninsula.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Adamson. and Salter.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A good flora but rather short on details of habitat. Not for the casual reader.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
S. Africa. Occasionally naturalized in Britain.
Habitat
Roadsides and grassy places in S. Africa[
73- Title
- Flora of the Cape Peninsula.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Adamson. and Salter.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A good flora but rather short on details of habitat. Not for the casual reader.
]. Occasionally naturalized in S.W. England but it does not flower there[
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].
Properties
| Weed Potential | Yes |
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial |
| Height | 0.20 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Easily grown in a sandy soil in a warm dry position[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
].
Plants spread rapidly when in a suitable environment and can quite easily become a weed in virtually frost-free environments[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
260- Title
- Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. & Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Pan Books, London.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-330-37376-5
- Description
- Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.
]. Plants seldom produce seed in Europe but they spread by means of asexually produced bulbils[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Edible Uses
Leaves - raw or cooked[
2- Title
- Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hedrick. U. P.
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- 0-486-20459-6
- Description
- Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
,
173- Title
- Native Edible Plants of New Zealand.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Crowe. A.
- Publisher
- Hodder and Stoughton
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-340-508302
- Description
- A very well written and illustrated book based on the authors own experiments with living on a native diet.
]. A pleasant acid flavour, the make a pleasant addition to mixed salads, whilst children especially like to eat them on their own[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]. Use in moderation, see notes at top of sheet.
Flowers - raw[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]. A pleasant acid flavour, they make an attractive addition to the salad bowl[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Root - cooked[
22- Title
- Alternative Foods.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Sholto-Douglas. J.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.
,
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- 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.
,
103- Title
- Flowering Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Haywood. V. H.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
-
- ISBN
- 0-19-217674-9
- Description
- Very readable and well illustrated, it lists plants by families giving the basic diagnostic features and some details of plant uses.
,
173- Title
- Native Edible Plants of New Zealand.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Crowe. A.
- Publisher
- Hodder and Stoughton
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-340-508302
- Description
- A very well written and illustrated book based on the authors own experiments with living on a native diet.
]. The small bulb is sometimes eaten[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- 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.
,
1438- Title
- Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2014
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as ripe. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out when large enough.
Division, preferably when dormant. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade until they are well established before planting them out.
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
