Creeping woodsorrel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Creeping woodsorrel |
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Oxalis corniculata, also known as the creeping woodsorrel or sleeping beauty, is a small, low-growing plant. It looks a bit like a clover, but it's actually part of the woodsorrel family. You can often find it growing in gardens and lawns.
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About Creeping Woodsorrel
What Does it Look Like?
This plant has a thin stem that creeps along the ground. It can easily grow roots from its nodes, which are the spots where leaves or branches grow.
Its leaves are special. Each leaf has three smaller, rounded leaflets, making it look like a clover. Some types of Oxalis corniculata have green leaves. Other types, like Oxalis corniculata var. atropurpurea, have pretty purple leaves. At the base of each leaf stalk (called a petiole), there are tiny, hard-to-see parts called stipules.
Its Fruit and Seeds
The fruit of this plant is a thin, tube-shaped capsule. It is about 1 to 2 centimeters long. What's cool about it is how it spreads its seeds! When the fruit is ripe, it can shoot out its tiny seeds, which are only about 1 millimeter long. This is called explosive discharge. The pollen of the plant is very small, about 34 microns wide.
Where Does it Grow?
This plant likely came from southeastern Asia. The famous scientist Carl Linnaeus first described it in 1753. He found it in Italy, where it seems to have arrived from the east before the year 1500.
Today, Oxalis corniculata grows all over the world. This is called a cosmopolitan distribution. You might see it growing as a weed in many places, like gardens, farms, and even on your lawn.
How People Use Creeping Woodsorrel
Edible Leaves
The leaves of woodsorrel are safe to eat. They have a tangy taste, a bit like lemons. You can even make a drink from them! Just soak the leaves in hot water for about 10 minutes, then sweeten and chill the liquid. The whole plant is full of vitamin C, which is good for you.
It's fine to eat a small amount of woodsorrel. However, eating very large amounts for a long time can stop your body from taking in enough calcium. So, it's best to enjoy it in small portions.
Helping the Environment
Oxalis corniculata is special because it can absorb a lot of copper from the soil. Plants that do this are called "hyperaccumulators." Because of this, it can be used in a process called phytoremediation. This means using plants to clean up polluted soil.
Long ago, in 1491, a Chinese text from the Ming Dynasty called Precious Secrets of the Realm of the King of Xin mentioned this plant. It described how to find underground copper deposits by looking for tiny amounts of copper in the plant.
Images for kids
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Stems with leaf stalk and side leaf (inconspicuous stipules at the base of each petiole are visible too)
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Trifoliate leaf of Oxalis corniculata
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Matured seed of Oxalis corniculata
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Mature (brown) and immature (white) seeds of Oxalis corniculata
See also
In Spanish: Acedera para niños
