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Oxalis crassipes - New Crop Summary & Recommendations

2008

Series: New Floricultural Crops: Formulation of Production Schedules for Wild, Non- domesticated Species

Part of the requirements for Horticultural Science 5051: Production II University of Minnesota

• Scientific Name: crassipes • Synonyms: Oxalis rubra, Oxalis floribunda • Common names: pink wood sorrel, sorrel, sour-grass, window-box wood sorrel, oxalia • Family:

Geographic Distribution

• Continents: Native to South America • Countries: Brazil • State/Province/region: South-eastern half of the US • Latitudinal Range: 25-40° • Altitude: varies • General Climactic Conditions: warm and moist • Tendency to naturalize or become invasive: easily naturalized in certain areas

Native Habitat

• Habitat: woodland undergrowth, disturbed sites • Plant community: Yarrow, bedstraw, orchard grass, black locust, scotch broom, jimson weed, Queen Anne’s lace Taxonomic Description

• Overall plant Habit/Description: Mounded • Root System type: fibrous, dense mat • Presence/Type of underground Storage Organs: Bulbs, • Leaves: Clover-like trifoliate green leaves, fold up when cloudy, rainy or night • Flower: Pink trumpet, 5 petals, dark veins • Season of Bloom: mid-spring to late autumn www.alabamaplants.com Medicinal/Other uses

• Use by Indigenous People: Used by primitive cultures as a vermifuge • Other Uses: leaves and flowers edible, for cooling fevers (tea), as a gargle, can be effective against mouth sores or ulcers; as an ointment for cuts, scrapes, rashes, skin infections

Some Current Cultivars

• ‘Alba’, ‘Garden Hardy White’- white flowered cultvars. • ‘Garden Hardy Pink’- a pink flowered cultivar

Product Specifications

• Crop Ideotype (ideal phenotype for the crop): proliferous flowering, hardiness in colder zones, more colors of flowers and foliage Propagation Methods

• Vegetative vs. Seed: Vegetative • If veg, Plant tissue source: Rhizomes, bulbs • If veg., proposed propagation methods & temperatures: divisions

Market Niche- Identification and Justification • Target sale(s) Date(s): March 17, March through June • Potential Holiday(s) for this Product: spring, St. Patrick’s Day • Programmability: needs vernalization • Crops with which this will compete on the market: different species and cultivars of oxalis • Crop‘story’ : An old-fashioned plant that Grandma used to grow in a window box • Will this ever be a major crop: maybe, to some it looks like a weed • No initial crop limitations/problems • Is this Product already identifiable to the growers and consumers? Yes, it’s already on the market • How soon could this product be available: Now

Anticipated Cultural Requirements

• Winter Hardiness (USDA Zones): 5-10 • Heat/Drought Tolerance: Mildly tolerant • Temperature (Day/Night): Rooting out 65-72°, Growing on 55-65°F • Light: Full Sun to Part Shade, long days • Nutrition: Medium (150-200ppmN) • Soil: Rich, moist to dry, not wet • Plant growth regulators: None necessary, Sumagic, Cycocel if needed • Container Size (through entire production cycle): 4-5” pots • Disease Resistance/Susceptibility: no major diseases • Fungicides, Insecticides: routine fungicide drenches

Production Schedule

• Estimated n. of weeks from planting to FBI, FD, and shipping: 6-7 weeks • Estimated time, type and quantity of special treatment applications: none needed

Literature Cited

• The American Horticultural Society. Encyclopedia of and Flowers. 2oo2. DK Publishing, New York, NY. • California Native Plant Link Exchange. 2008. www.cnplx.info. Date Accessed: April 29, 2008. • Herbaceous Plants Picture Pages: Wood Sorrel. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu. Date Accessed: April 29, 2008. • Let’s Go Native. 2008. http://letsgonative.net. Date Accessed: April 29, 2008. • Niche Gardens: Oxalis crassipes. 2008. www.nichegardens.com. Date Accessed: April 28, 2008. • North Carolina State Extension: Perennial Flowers Factsheet. 2005. www.ces.ncsu.edu. Date Accessed: April 28, 2008. • Plant of the Week: University of Oklahoma Dept of Botany and Microbiology. 2002. www.plantoftheweek.org. Date Accessed: April 29, 2008. • Proven Winner Certified Grower Plant Detail. 2008. www.pwcertified.com. Date Accessed: April 28, 2008 • Sunshine Farm and Gardens: Glick Pick Archives. 2000. www.sunfarm.com. Date Accessed: April 28, 2008. •