The Oxalis Family is familiar to California gardeners and hikers alike. The former contend with, and often give in to the hardy weeds such as Yellow Oxalis, while the latter is most famililar with the pretty Redwood Sorrel carpeting the floors of Redwood forests.

The novice naturalist may easily confuse the leafy plant with Clovers. The flowers, however, as well as their distinctive taste, easily separate the Oxalis species from the Clovers.

Redwood Sorrel (Oxalis oregana, above and left) provides welcome color to the oft-barren grounds below California's dense Redwood forests. The violet-tinged flowers are especially pretty, nestled among the clover-like leaves of the Sorrel. California Indians (and modern day hikers) enjoyed the tangy taste of these plants -- athough too much of a good thing, in this case, is indeed bad -- the tangy taste is the product of oxalic acid which is known to interfere with proper digestion.

Yellow Oxalis (Oxalis incarnata, left & right) is an African native which has taken very well to Californian suburban environment. These delightful plants are very hard to get rid of once they have taken root in a garden. Luckily, this is one case where the adage "If you can't beat 'em join 'em" really does have a happy ending. The showy flowers unfurl every morning to reveal their bright yellow trumpets and then wrap themselves up into a tube towards evening to spend the night.

Phylum: Angiospermophyta (flowering plants)

Class: Dicotyledoneae (starting with two seed-leaves)

Subclass: Rosidae

Order: Geraniales

Family: Oxalidaceae (Oxalis family)