E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Oxalis oregana Nutt.
redwood sorrel (redwood-sorrel)
Oxalidaceae (Wood-Sorrel family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Oxalis oregana
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Introduction

Redwood sorrel is a herbaceous perennial species that is found in North America from British Columbia south to California. In British Columbia it is rarely found on the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) and the west coast of Vancouver Island, in the Coastal Western Hemlock BEC zone (Douglas et al. 1999). The leaves are light-responsive, opening in direct sun and closing when shaded (Wikipedia 2012). The ecological framework information for this species on E-Flora BC shows that it is generally found at an elevation of 25 m, but may be found up to an elevation of 80 m.

Species Information

Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this species.

Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial herb from a scaly rhizome, 5-20 cm tall; stems ascending to erect, several, simple, brown-hairy, 5-15 cm long.

Leaves:
All basal, numerous, clover-like, the blades 1-4.5 cm long, stalks brownish-hairy, 3-20 cm long, leaflets broadly heart-shaped, folded towards each other.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of single terminal flowers; petals white to pinkish, 13-20 mm long, entire; sepals 5-10 mm long.

Fruits:
Capsules, egg-shaped, 7-9 mm long, hairy; seeds almond-shaped, 3.5-4 mm long, longitudinally marked.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist forests in the lowland zone; rare on the Queen Charlotte Islands and W coast of Vancouver Island; S to CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Oxalis oregana

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	0	20	80
Slope Gradient (%)	0	0	1
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]		0
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	5	5	7
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	D
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	5
Modal BEC Zone Class	CWH
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	CWH(5)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is cool mesothermal.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S3	Blue	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Oxalis acetosella subsp. oregana (Nutt.) D. Löve
Oxalis oregana var. smallii (R. Knuth) M. Peck

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

UBC Herbarium Scanned Collection Record
Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-09 6:26:59 PM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.