Oxalis Tetraphylla is a bulbous
plant from Mexico. A common name is "Iron Cross", after a
famous cultivar; it is also known as "lucky clover", and in a
wild or feral state as four-leaf sorrel or, least ambiguously,
four-leaved pink-sorrel.
It has
leaves divided into four and has been called "lucky leaf" and
even "four-leaf clover", but it is not a true clover. Related
to the common wood-sorrel (Oxalis Acetosella), it is commonly
used as an ornamental plant. It is also edible, the flowers
and leaves having a sharp lemon flavor. However, since the
oxalic acid in the plant can interfere with the absorption of
certain nutrients in the body, especially calcium, too much
can be harmful.
This
specimen was photographed in my own back garden, it makes an
excellent rockery plant situated between light coloured rocks.
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