Oxalis hirta aka Tropical Woodsorrel

Oxalis hirta has the common name hairy wood sorrel. It is part of the wood sorrel family, Oxalidaceae. It comes from the southwestern Cape of South Africa. Kew puts it in the subtropical climate zone. It is not native to Great Britain or Ireland. The RHS record accepts its botanical name. That record says little else about the species itself.

Kew calls the plant a tuberous geophyte. This means it grows from a storage organ below ground. Chicago Botanic Garden groups it with bulbs for garden use. The two records use different terms for its growth below ground. Chicago gives its shape as a mound, not an upright form. Its entry gives no mature height or spread. The supplied records give no leaf or stem details for this species. The common name does not tell us which parts have hairs.

Chicago lists pink and yellow as the flower colors. It does not say how each flower shows those colors. Its bloom dates run from January through June. They then run from September through October. The entry does not list July, August, November, or December. These dates come from that garden's plant record. They do not show one bloom season for all climates. The supplied species records give no flower size. They do not describe the fruit or name its pollinators.

For garden care, Chicago lists full sun and partial shade. It calls for a moderate amount of water. The same source gives USDA hardiness zones 6 through 10. This broad range comes from one archived garden record. The page says its updates stopped before February 2022. The supplied RHS entry gives no UK hardiness rating. The evidence gives no preferred soil texture or pH. It gives no detailed plan for when to water. Nor does it give care steps for each season.

Chicago suggests growing this species in bedding or borders. Its mound shape is the main landscape trait listed there. The evidence gives no growth rate or rating for upkeep. No facts for this species address pests or diseases. Nor do they say if it could become a weed. They do not say which parts are safe to eat. They give no medicinal uses or facts about toxicity. These gaps do not prove that the plant is safe.