Oxalis metcalfei

(Small) R. Knuth

Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 7: 314. 1919.

Common names: Metcalfe’s wood-sorrel
Basionym: Ionoxalis metcalfei Small in N. L. Britton et al. N. Amer. Fl. 25: 39. 1907
Synonyms: I. monticola Small Oxalis bulbosa A. Nelson O. neomexicana R. Knuth
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 149. Mentioned on page 136, 150.

Herbs perennial, acaulous, rhizomes and stolons absent, bulb 5–10 mm, usually surrounded by dense cluster of bulblets, 3–4 mm (sometimes obscuring bulb); bulb scales 3-nerved. Leaves basal; petiole 7–15 cm; leaflets 3, green, obtriangular-obcordate, 11–25 mm, lobed 1/6–1/3 length, lobes apically rounded to shallowly convex, surfaces glabrous, oxalate deposits usually in narrow band 0.5–1.5 mm along margins at base of notch, sometimes evident on one surface but not other, rarely absent. Inflorescences umbelliform cymes, 3–7-flowered; scapes 7–22 cm, glabrous. Flowers tristylous and distylous; sepal apices with 2 orange, narrow-elongate, nonconfluent tubercles; petals white to pale green proximally with green veins, purplish to lavender or pink distally, (9–) 12–16 mm. Capsules cylindric, 6 mm, glabrous. 2n = 28, 42.


Phenology: Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Sep(–Oct).
Habitat: Stream banks, wet meadows, canyon bottoms, talus, rocky banks, crevices, juniper-chaparral, Cercocarpus, pine, yellow pine-Douglas fir-oak, Douglas fir-aspen, pine-white fir-Douglas fir, spruce-fir, or spruce woodlands.
Elevation: 1800–3100(–3400) m.

Distribution

V12 433-distribution-map.jpg

Ariz., Colo., N.Mex., Tex., Mexico (Chihuahua), Mexico (Durango), Mexico (Sonora), Mexico (Zacatecas)

Discussion

Oxalis metcalfei has mostly been identified as O. alpina (Rose) Rose ex R. Knuth, but the latter is a species of south-central Mexico, far from the populations in northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States. Oxalis alpina has leaflets with dotlike oxalate deposits scattered throughout the lamina, concentrated near margins, or as continuous, filiform marginal bands around the lobe apices; the corollas usually are white. Oxalis metcalfei is consistently different in the nature of its foliar oxalate deposits and the corollas usually are purplish to lavender or pink.

Plants with chromosome numbers of 2n = 28 are found in both Arizona and New Mexico; those with 2n = 42 are found only in New Mexico (S. C. Weller and M. F. Denton 1976).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"alternating" is not a number."/6" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Oxalis metcalfei"
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (?) +
Guy L. Nesom +
(Small) R. Knuth +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
Ionoxalis metcalfei +
subpalmate +  and pinnate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
cylindric +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (?) +
taprooted +  and fibrous-rooted +
Metcalfe’s wood-sorrel +
umbelliform +
Ariz. +, Colo. +, N.Mex. +, Tex. +, Mexico (Chihuahua) +, Mexico (Durango) +, Mexico (Sonora) +  and Mexico (Zacatecas) +
1800–3100(–3400) m. +
Stream banks, wet meadows, canyon bottoms, talus, rocky banks, crevices, juniper-chaparral, Cercocarpus, pine, yellow pine-Douglas fir-oak, Douglas fir-aspen, pine-white fir-Douglas fir, spruce-fir, or spruce woodlands. +
axillary +  and terminal +
whorled +  and alternate +
lobed +  and obtriangular-obcordate +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
apically rounded +  and shallowly convex +
orange +  and black +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
purplish +  and lavender or pink +
connate +  and distinct +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br />) +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Sep(–Oct). +
Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (22 cm220 mm <br />0.22 m <br />) +
connate +  and distinct +
free +  and connate +
creeping +  and prostrate +
erect to decumbent +
distinct +
I. monticola +, Oxalis bulbosa +  and O. neomexicana +
Oxalis metcalfei +
species +
narrow-elongate +