Oxalis corniculata
Creeping wood sorrel
(c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · licence
Family: Oxalidaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Oxalis corniculata (Creeping wood sorrel) is a non-native California herb in the Oxalidaceae family, recognized by rooting stems and cylindric fruits diagnostic.
Creeping wood sorrel is a naturalized perennial herb found in various California regions including the northern Coast Ranges, San Joaquin Valley, Central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, southern California, and Peninsular Ranges, commonly occurring in disturbed areas at elevations generally below 1,900 meters. Flowering throughout the year, this plant produces small yellow flowers often featuring distinctive red spots near the base of the petals. Growing with slender stems less than 50 centimeters long that root at the nodes and have both appressed and spreading hairs, it spreads readily in disturbed landscapes. Its leaves are composed of three delicate green leaflets less than 2 centimeters long, with ciliate edges and sparse appressed hairs on the undersides. The plant produces elongated cylindrical fruits 6 to 25 millimeters long with simple, short, generally appressed hairs.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 10 sympatric species; rooting stems and cylindric fruits diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed areas
Elevation: generally < 1900 m
California counties: Los Angeles, Amador, Tulare, Fresno, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Bernardino, Orange, Butte, Riverside, Nevada, Humboldt, Marin, Alameda, San Mateo, San Francisco, Inyo, Santa Clara, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, El Dorado, Sacramento, Solano, Contra Costa, Mendocino, Stanislaus, Yolo, Del Norte, Sonoma, Tuolumne, Yuba, San Joaquin, Napa, Mariposa
Outside California: worldwide, native to Mediterranean Europe
Bloom period
Oxalis corniculata blooms +- all year.
How to tell it apart
vs Trifolium: Oxalis has heart-notched leaflet tips; clover has oval or elongate leaflet tips without notches.; vs Medicago: Oxalis leaflets fold at night and have notched tips; medick leaflets don't fold and have toothed edges.; vs Marsilea: Oxalis is a land plant with flowers; water clover is aquatic with spore-bearing structures.; vs Pelargonium: Oxalis is soft-stemmed with 3 leaflets; geranium is woody-based with palmately lobed leaves.; vs Bowlesia: Oxalis has clover-like leaves with 3 leaflets; Bowlesia has kidney-shaped undivided leaves.
Frequently asked questions
Is Oxalis corniculata native to California?
No. Oxalis corniculata is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Oxalis corniculata bloom?
Oxalis corniculata blooms +- all year.
Where in California does Oxalis corniculata grow?
Oxalis corniculata occurs in Los Angeles, Amador, Tulare, Fresno, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Bernardino and other counties, at elevations of generally < 1900 m.
What plant family does Oxalis corniculata belong to?
Oxalis corniculata is in the Oxalidaceae family, genus Oxalis.
What habitat does Oxalis corniculata grow in?
Oxalis corniculata grows in Disturbed areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.