This edible weed / herb belong to the wood-sorrel family Oxalidaceae. Oxalis grows all around the world except in the Polar Regions.
Picture – Wood Sorrel, Broadleaf Woodsorrel, Mexican Oxalis
Some of the species are named after the color of their flowers like yellow-sorrel, pink-sorrel, and so on. Other common name is sour grass as the leaves are acidic to taste. In Hindi it is known as Amrul, Khatmitti, in Tamil it is known as Paliakiri, in Kannada it is Puli soppu.
I remember chewing on this as a kid and savoring the acidic taste. The leaves of this plant is used in various cuisines and consumed by humans.
Oxalis plant is perennial but blooms annually. The leaves are usually divided into 3 and if the heat is more, the leaves droop down only to spread like a palm the next day.
The flowers are white, pink, lilac, blue, purple or yellow and comprises of 5 petals with ten stamens.
The fruit is a capsule consisting of several seeds. Creeping wood-sorrel species spreads and covers the ground very fast in favorable weather conditions.
Picture – Purple Shamrock
Gardeners prefer to grow this plant as an ornamental plant.
Medicinal use:
Oxalis is used to relieve mouth sores, sore throat, cramps, fever, and nausea.
Picture – Blue Oxalis
Picture – Yellow Wood Sorrel
Had not known there was a Blue Oxalis.
Neither did I, this plant grew in one of the pots I had got from a nursery. 🙂