Weed of the Week: Yellow Woodsorrel

Written by:  Aly Shinkle, Jason Bond, and Tom Eubank

Yellow Woodsorrel
Family: Oxalidaceae
Scientific name: Oxalis stricta (L.)
Synonyms: European woodsorrel, lady’s sorrel, sheep’s clover, sheep sour, yellow sorrel, sour weed

Photo: www.forestryimages.org

Yellow woodsorrel is a short-lived, herbaceous annual or perennial plant with a distinct sour taste and clover-shaped leaves. Cotyledons are oblong, green, and smooth. Leaves are arranged in an alternating pattern and consist of three heart-shaped leaflets. Stems are branched at the base and may be erect or grow close to the ground with ascending tips (decumbent growth habit).  Stems emerge from spreading rhizomes and grow along the ground, rooting at the nodes. Plants may be densely hairy or entirely smooth. Five-petal flowers are yellow and organized in clusters. Yellow woodsorrel can be mistaken for corn buttercup (Ranunculus arvensis) or hairy buttercup (Ranunculus sardous), but these species have lobed leaves in contrast to the compound leaves of yellow woodsorrel.

Yellow woodsorrel is native to North America and can be found throughout Mississippi. It can be problematic in lawns, gardens, and flowerbeds. Pendimenthalin is a residual herbicide effective for yellow woodsorrel control. Dicamba or 2,4-D provide postemergence control of large plants. All parts of yellow woodsorrel are edible, but the plant contains toxic properties that can cause renal disease, metabolic tetany, depression, and other disorders.

Bryson, C.T. and M.S. DeFelice. 2009. Weeds of the South. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. pp. 245.

Photo: www.forestryimages.org