Oxalis triangularis
Purple Shamrock, False Shamrock, Love Plant, Wood Sorrel, Black Oxalis
Central & South America | Tropical & Subtropical
A petite plant pal that'll stop you in your tracks. The crisp triangular leaves emerge from their stem in trios. Their otherworldly quality is enhanced by their deep, almost black, purple color. Not to mention the dainty pinkish-white flowers that you might spot peaking up through the dense foliage.
flowering, color, easy going, direct, drought averse, petite, clusters, bushy or dense, shelf, tabletop, tropical, subtropical
This plant prefers to stay fairly moist, but certainly not soggy sopping wet. Check the soil frequently in summer to determine if it's starting to dry out. In winter, you can be a little more lax, allowing the top inch or so to dry out before watering again.
Primarily plenty of bright, indirect light with a few hours of direct light is ideal for a happy, thriving Oxalis.
Can adapt to average room humidity, but will thrive in higher humidity, especially in the summer or hot, dry conditions (like near a heater).
Adaptable to average indoor temperatures, but generally prefers the warmer side and may complain when exposed to cold drafts or dry heat from vents.
Oxalis leaves are mildly toxic to pets and humans. Ingestion will cause mouth and stomach irritation and possible vomiting.
Indoors, this plant can grow up to 6-12 inches tall with a similar spread (when mature and with enough light)!
Generally low, bushy clusters of delicate, densely packed stems. Each stem is topped with groups of uniquely triangular leaves. These groups can close up (kind of like an umbrella) at night or if light levels drop significantly.
Delicate trios of crisp triangular leaflets come together to create a shamrock shape. The deep, almost black, purple shade of the foliage is contrasted with dainty whitish-pink flowers.
Oxalis are known to lean toward the sun—leading to lopsided growth, so do try to provide even, consistent light year-round and give your plant a little turn every few waterings to promote well-balanced growth.
While primarily prized for their foliage, you may spot blooms on your Oxalis. Small five-petal clusters of light pink or white flowers may appear from spring through summer, lasting for 3-5 days at a time.
Water
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Keep soil just moist, but not soggy.
This plant prefers to stay fairly moist, but certainly not soggy sopping wet. Check the soil frequently in summer to determine if it's starting to dry out. In winter, you can be a little more lax, allowing the top inch or so to dry out before watering again.
Light
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Bright, indirect to direct light.
Primarily plenty of bright, indirect light with a few hours of direct light is ideal for a happy, thriving Oxalis.
Humidity
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Extra humidity appreciated in drier spaces.
Can adapt to average room humidity, but will thrive in higher humidity, especially in the summer or hot, dry conditions (like near a heater).
Temperature
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Can adapt, but doesn't like sudden change.
Adaptable to average indoor temperatures, but generally prefers the warmer side and may complain when exposed to cold drafts or dry heat from vents.
Toxicity
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Mildly toxic to humans and pets if ingested.
Oxalis leaves are mildly toxic to pets and humans. Ingestion will cause mouth and stomach irritation and possible vomiting.
Size
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A petite plant pal.
Indoors, this plant can grow up to 6-12 inches tall with a similar spread (when mature and with enough light)!
Format
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Low bushy clusters of densely packed stems.
Generally low, bushy clusters of delicate, densely packed stems. Each stem is topped with groups of uniquely triangular leaves. These groups can close up (kind of like an umbrella) at night or if light levels drop significantly.
Leaf Shape
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Bundles of triangular leaflets in a dark purple hue.
Delicate trios of crisp triangular leaflets come together to create a shamrock shape. The deep, almost black, purple shade of the foliage is contrasted with dainty whitish-pink flowers.
Pro Tip
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Rotate every few waterings for even growth.
Oxalis are known to lean toward the sun—leading to lopsided growth, so do try to provide even, consistent light year-round and give your plant a little turn every few waterings to promote well-balanced growth.
Fun Fact
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Look out for blooms!
While primarily prized for their foliage, you may spot blooms on your Oxalis. Small five-petal clusters of light pink or white flowers may appear from spring through summer, lasting for 3-5 days at a time.
Thrives in a rich, very well-draining potting mix—you can use a good quality potting mix labeled for indoor plants or make your own mix. You can try a 1:1:1:0.5 mix of potting mix, orchid bark, perlite, and activated charcoal. Ensure the pot has the appropriate drainage and don't forget to pour out any excess water collected in the drainage tray or cachepot.
Try to repot every 2-3 years in the spring, especially when tending to a younger plant. Increase the pot size by about 2 inches each time or until you're satisfied with the size. It's still important to repot at this stage, but it'll be an exercise of refreshing the soil, keeping the pot size the same, and possibly doing some root trimming to restrict the plant's growth. Keep in mind, a mature and lightly rootbound plant is more likely to flower! More on repotting here.
If you're not already planning to repot, you can fertilize during the spring and summer months. Once to every two months should be plenty. No fertilizer is necessary during the winter when plant growth naturally slows down. You can try a balanced liquid or water-soluble fertilizer—always diluted more than the recommended strength. Try something with more potassium (K) if you're specifically looking to see blooms. More on using fertilizer here.
While no specific pruning is required for this plant, it's always good practice to regularly remove yellowed or dying leaves and any fallen plant debris. Ensure your scissors or pruners are sanitized to avoid spreading disease or pests. You'll also want to dead-head any spent flowers. More on grooming techniques here.
Oxalis have a bulbous modified stem, known as a corm, that will develop their own offsets. Once the developing plant, or pup, has formed a few leaves, it can be separated by carefully making a clean cut to remove the pup from the parent corm. You can pot up this baby plant directly in soil. The best time to propagate is always in spring or summer when the plant is most resilient. This is also an excellent opportunity to repot the parent plant. More on propagation techniques here.
Leaves dropping in droves! Most or all leaves have suddenly died off.
Oxalis are known to go into dormancy when they're receiving insufficient light and temperatures drop suddenly or significantly (like winter). Dormancy means the plant wants to conserve energy while it awaits better conditions, so they may drop most or all their leaves. But dormant doesn't mean dead!
While it can be shocking to see a plant drop all their leaves, don't despair. Continue caring for your plant by keeping it in a brighter, warmer spot, reduce your watering, and wait for spring! You should see new leaves sprouting and a speedy return to their former glory. Sadly, you can't prevent winter, but as the season approaches you may be able to avoid dormancy by moving your plant to a slightly warmer and brighter spot to counteract the sudden change.
A white mold covering the surface of the soil or full-on mushrooms sprouting in the soil or even popping out through drainage holes.
It can be frightening to notice mold or mushrooms growing on the soil. However, these fungii are usually benign and won't harm your plant directly. The real danger is that you're creating an environment that promotes fungal growth and is quite likely overly wet. Ultimately, these could be warning signs that you are overwatering.
If you want to eliminate the mold and mushrooms, you can simply remove and replace the top inch or so of soil. You can also try a soil soak of neem oil, which acts as a fungicide. But try not to overdo it, since you're delivering neem oil in a water-based solution, too much will do more harm than good. The most important factor will be to evaluate your watering frequency and ensure you aren't overwatering. While the visible fungii aren't problematic for your plant, sustained overwatering will eventually lead to a fungal infection at the roots, the cause of dreaded root rot.
Multiple leaves are wilting and turning yellow—particularly the older, lower leaves. You may also notice stunted growth and mushy stems.
The most likely culprit is overwatering and initial signs of root rot. When a plant's roots sit in waterlogged soil for too long, a fungal infection can quickly take over, causing the roots to rot (turning brown and mushy).
First, ensure that your plant has appropriate drainage (both in terms of well-draining soil and plenty of drainage holes in the plant's container).
If you think you've caught the overwatering early on, you can simply let the plant dry out more than you have been. Allow the top few inches of soil to dry out before watering again. Continue monitoring and only water when needed. You may also try using chopsticks (or something similar) to poke holes in the soil to help the roots get more oxygen. And finally, you can try to "wick" the excess moisture out of the soil by placing the whole pot (with drainage holes) in a tray or container with dry soil. This new layer of dry soil should soak up some of the excess moisture from the waterlogged areas around your plant's roots.
However, if you suspect a serious case of root rot, you'll definitely need to take a peak at the roots by removing the plant entirely from their container. If there are any black and mushy roots, trim them back completely before repotting with fresh soil in a new or sterilized container.
Leaves turning brown just on the edges or tips. These edges may gradually change from yellow to brown, crispy, and possibly a bit curled.
Browning just on the edges of tips is usually a reaction to low humidity. Since many of our houseplants have tropical origins, they also thrive in humid conditions. Our average indoor humidity is usually adequate, but some plants are simply more sensitive to changes in humidity than others. You may notice this more acutely when conditions are particularly dry—like when you turn on the heater in winter.
Try to accommodate your plant's needs by locating them in more naturally humid places, like the bathroom or kitchen, or grouping a bunch of humidity-loving plants together. But the only way to truly guarantee increased humidity is to get a humidifier!
Once you've addressed the problem: If the brown tips bother you, you can trim them back. Do your best to follow the shape of the leaf to help them look natural. Also, try to cut just short of the discolored edge so it doesn’t expand.
