Creeping Woodsorrel and Bermuda Buttercup
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Creeping Woodsorrel and Bermuda ButterCup Integrated Pest Management for Home Gardeners and Landscape Professionals Creeping woodsorrel, Oxalis corniculata, due to drought or intense heat, the leaves is a weed species that occurs in many sometimes turn reddish and wilt. parts of the world. In California it usu- ally grows below the 2,500-foot eleva- Creeping woodsorrel can bloom almost tion level and frequently appears in any time during the year, although lawns, flower beds, gardens, nurseries, spring is a time of heavy flowering and greenhouses. and seed formation. The flowers have 5 small, yellow petals about 1/8- to 1/3- A related species, Bermuda buttercup, O. inch long that are borne singly in small pes-caprae, is a South African native that clusters of 2 to 5 flowers on the ends of grows in California’s coastal gardens short, slender stalks. Figure 1. Creeping woodsorrel. and fields as well as inland landscaped areas. Bermuda buttercup, also called Seedpods are erect, hairy, cylindrical Buttercup oxalis, has been cultivated capsules with a pointed tip about 1/3 to 1 as an ornamental, and although you’ll inch long and resemble miniature okra. occasionally find it in lawns, more often Seeds are oval, flat, rough, reddish brown it is a problem in flowerbeds, ground- 1 sometimes with gray spots, and about /25 covers, and shrub areas in home land- inch long. There are about 10 to 50 seeds scapes or in commercial, field-grown per pod, with a potential for more than flowers. In recent years it has been en- 5,000 seeds per plant. When seedpods croaching in natural areas and hillside mature, they rupture, and seeds are plantings along California’s coast. forcefully expelled, landing up to 10 feet Figure 2. A variant of creeping woodsor- from the plant. Because seeds are rough, rel, O. corniculata variety atropurpurea, The genus name Oxalis is derived from they can stick to machinery, plastic pots, has purple leaves. the Greek word meaning “sour,” re- irrigation tubing, and clothing. ferring to the sour-tasting oxalic acid present throughout the plants. If live- Seeds require light for germination. stock ingest large quantities, they can Optimum seed germination occurs suffer from oxalate poisoning. between 60° and 80°F, although it can IDENTIFICATION AND occur at lower temperatures. Seeds can LIFE CYCLE germinate any time of year in Califor- nia, but most plant establishment takes Creeping Woodsorrel place in fall. It isn’t known how long A perennial plant that lives for several seeds remain viable in the soil. Moist, seasons, creeping woodsorrel (Fig. 1) hot conditions inhibit seed germina- Figure 3. Under intense sunlight, creep- grows in a prostrate manner (low and tion; for example, 4 hours of moist heat ing woodsorrel plants often fold their creeping) and forms roots and stems at 97°F decreases germination by 96%, leaves downward. where nodes contact the soil. It grows while 8 hours stops it altogether. in both full sun and shade if the area receives adequate moisture. Seedlings have 2 round leaves, and duce growth but won’t kill the plants. the first true leaves are a replica of the If you pull creeping woodsorrel from The leaves are comprised of 3 heart- mature, heart-shaped leaflets. Creep- the ground, the taproot or stolons shaped leaflets attached to the tip of a ing woodsorrel grows rapidly, forming often break off and remain in the soil, long stem. Leaves are green to purple a fleshy taproot and an extensive root allowing the plant to regrow. Pieces of (Fig. 2) and often close and fold down- system that expands outward. Seed- roots and prostrate stems can develop ward in intense light and at night (Fig. 3). lings begin flowering in about 4 weeks. into new plants when conditions are If creeping woodsorrel plants are stressed Extremely cold or hot temperatures re- favorable. EST OTES Publication 7444 PUniversity of California N Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program Agriculture and Natural Resources June 2010 June 2010 Creeping Woodsorrel and Bermuda Buttercup Bermuda Buttercup (Buttercup low-growing perennial ground covers. Oxalis) It spreads during mowing and other cultural operations. Bermuda buttercup (Fig. 4) is a perenni- al that grows in full sun in cool coastal Once established, it is very competi- areas, but inland it grows primarily in tive, because it grows year-round. This semishaded sites. It grows upright and makes it particularly troublesome is larger and showier than creeping in warm season turf species such as woodsorrel. bermudagrass or perennial groundcov- ers that have a dormancy period. It develops from bulbs that sprout and Figure 4. Bermuda buttercup. grow in the fall. The plant forms a sin- gle, short, vertical stem that is mostly Bermuda Buttercup (Buttercup underground. Leaves form a loose Oxalis) basal rosette on the soil surface. The Bermuda buttercup used to be grown leaves are comprised of 3 heart-shaped as an ornamental, but once planted leaflets and are larger and more succu- it would spread throughout a garden, lent than those of creeping woodsorrel; compete with other plants, and become they often are spotted with purple dots. very difficult to control. It still is plenti- ful in many landscapes. Although it Small, whitish bulblets develop on the can spread into the edges of turfgrass, stem at the base of the rosette of leaves, mowing reduces its invasiveness, so and new bulbs form underground (Fig. it rarely is a problem in lawns. It is a Figure 5. Bermuda buttercup bulbs. 5). A plant forms about a dozen small major problem in field-grown flowers bulbs per year, each less than 1 inch and in the home landscape, especially long. Bermuda buttercup also can pro- in groundcovers. duce a lateral stem (runner) that forms see Tables 1 and 2. The effectiveness a new, aboveground plant. Bermuda buttercup was first noted in of control method depends on which California in the San Francisco Bay weed is present and where the weeds Flowers appear in late winter or early region and has since spread through- are growing. spring. The flowers are bright yellow, out most coastal counties, the coastal 3 1 Creeping woodsorrel. The two pri- /4 to 1 /2 inches in diameter, and are range, and into the Central Valley. In borne on top of a leafless stalk rising 6 the last 10 years, this plant has invaded mary methods for managing creeping to 12 inches tall. Viable seed never has native coastal dunes and natural areas woodsorrel are removing established been documented in California, and along the coast, leading to the demise plants and controlling germinating seeds. You can control established rarely has it been seen anywhere else in of native plants. It is a troublesome plants with handweeding, hand cultiva- world. Foliage dies and the bulbs be- weed that is more competitive than is tion with hoes and weeding tools, and come dormant when temperatures rise assumed from its general appearance. in late spring and summer. Bermuda postemergent herbicides. Try to control plants before they flower and set seed. buttercup reproduces vegetatively by Due to its extensive occurrence in Infested sites require constant vigilance bulbs and spreads when plants are yards and gardens, Bermuda buttercup and continuous weed removal. divided or soil containing the bulbs is has the potential to rapidly spread moved to uninfested areas. via the production of bulbs and the Control seedlings by preventing seed movement of contaminated soils into germination and/or seedling emer- IMPACT adjacent natural areas. Because it is gence with preemergent herbicides practically impossible to eradicate Creeping Woodsorrel and/or mulches along with continual infested soils of this weed, take care Creeping woodsorrel is a major weed handweeding. Burying seeds or cov- to prevent Bermuda buttercup from in turf, ornamental plantings, and ering them with mulch to block their invading wildlands. nurseries. Infested container stock can exposure to light prevents germination contaminate uninfested landscapes. and is an effective way to control seed- As seedpods mature and expel seeds, MANAGEMENT lings in planting beds; it isn’t a feasible creeping woodsorrel spreads from In many garden situations creeping method for lawns. Preemergent herbi- container to container, from flower bed woodsorrel and Bermuda buttercup cides can be used to prevent seedling to flower bed, or across ornamental can be managed with physical control emergence in most sites where creeping plantings. Creeping woodsorrel can methods such as handweeding. In woodsorrel grows. Both pre- and pos- establish rapidly in semishaded areas other cases, herbicides can be inte- temergent herbicide selection is depen- of new or established grass lawns or grated into the management program; dent upon the site of infestation. ◆ 2 of 5 ◆ June 2010 Creeping Woodsorrel and Bermuda Buttercup Bermuda buttercup (Buttercup oxal- ture, if indicated on the label, increas- are extremely effective in controlling is). Bermuda buttercup grows mostly es herbicide coverage and penetration seedling and established creeping in ornamental beds, where control is by the leaf. woodsorrel plants in cool-season turf- difficult and complicated by the pres- grass lawns. Triclopyr is more readily ence of ornamental plants. Removing Cool-season turfgrass (bent grass, Ken- available to the homeowner than flu- the top of the plant by cultivating tucky bluegrass, tall fescue, and ryegrass). roxypyr. These herbicides sometimes or cutting it off won’t kill the bulb. Triclopyr and fluroxypyr are two pos- are sold in combination with other Don’t move soil from an infested temergent broadleaf herbicides that broadleaf herbicides. site to one that is free of the weed. Handweeding is used extensively to Table 1 reduce infestations, but because it is Herbicides for Controlling Creeping Woodsorrel. exceedingly difficult to remove all of the bulbs, new plants usually appear.