Oxalis hirta – Wood Sorrel
Tight clusters of leaves along its stems, crowned with rich magenta blooms with cheery yellow eyes.
Habit:
This is a ground covering plant that grows to only 15cm, from pretty golden bulbs (officially rhizomes). Oxalis has a bad reputation with gardeners as some can be horribly invasive. However O. hirta is one of the good ones. For confirmation please do read this article from Jury’s Garden.
Origins:
O. hirta grows on flats and slopes in the north and southwest Cape in South Africa. The flowers are tri-foliate and Oxalis as a whole are sometimes referred to as False Shamrocks, though that (Trifolium pratense) is not just in a different family (Pea family, Fabaceae) from Wood Sorrel (Oxalidacea), but is actually in a different Order.
Soil / Aspect:
Oxalis hirta flowers during autumn and winter, being prompted into growth by autumn rain. During the spring it dies down and remains dormant through the summer. This is a tough plant and can be used in places that are baked dry in summer. It requires sun to flower properly.
Maintenance:
You can do precisely nothing with this plant and enjoy it every winter. However, the bulbs do multiply and every other year you can lift a clump and take some bulbs in the summer, for friends or another spot in your garden, with no apparent diminution of flowering from the clump that you lifted.