Oxalis pes-caprae

Bermuda buttercup

Family: Oxalidaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Bermuda buttercup is a naturalized perennial herb found in northern coastal California, the Sacramento Valley, central western California, and southwestern California in disturbed areas, roadsides, grasslands, and dunes at elevations below 820 meters. Flowering from January to May, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with delicate petals up to 2.5 centimeters long. Growing with an underground vertical stem, it forms a loose basal rosette of leaflets that are often marked with purple spots and have soft hairs on their undersides. Its leaves include up to 40 small leaflets, each approximately 3.5 centimeters long, arranged in a distinctive cluster. The plant spreads through multiple white to brown bulbs that develop on rhizomes and root tips, making it a persistent and adaptable species in disturbed landscapes.

Habitat: Disturbed areas, roadsides, grassland, dunes

Bloom period: Jan-May

Elevation: < 820 m

Bioregions: NCo, NCoRO, n SNF, ScV, CW (exc SCoRI), SW (exc SnJt)

California counties: Los Angeles, Butte, San Bernardino, Alameda, Orange, San Mateo, Monterey, Stanislaus, San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Merced, Yolo, Solano, Marin, Sutter, Sonoma, Sacramento, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Humboldt, Mendocino

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.