Oxalis smalliana

Redwood sorrel

Family: Oxalidaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Redwood sorrel is a California native perennial found in moist conifer forests, particularly among coast redwood, at elevations below 700 meters. Flowering from January to August, this plant produces delicate white to pink or purple flowers with a distinctive yellow to yellow-orange spot at the base of each petal, typically 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters long. Growing with a creeping, fleshy rhizome and nearly stemless, it forms clustered leaflets at the rhizome tips, with petioles up to 23 centimeters long. Its leaves are composed of three leaflets up to 3.5 centimeters long, often with a purple tinge on the undersides and pale midribs. The plant produces ovoid fruits approximately 10 millimeters long, emerging from peduncles up to 22 centimeters in length.

Habitat: Moist conifer forest, primarily among coast redwood

Bloom period: Jan-Aug

Elevation: < 700 m

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