🔍 Shrubby Woodsorrel | Oxalis frutescens 🌿
📍 Peñón de Guacalillo, Puntarenas, Costa Rica 🇨🇷
💬 Don’t let its weedy reputation fool you — Shrubby Woodsorrel thrives where almost nothing else will, bursting into vivid yellow bloom in the harshest coastal scrub conditions. Its leaves contain oxalic acid, the same compound that gives rhubarb its signature tang! 🍋
Flora
Shrubby Woodsorrel | Oxalis frutescens
Basic ID
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Other Common Names
Shrubby Wood-Sorrel, Yellow Woodsorrel
Plant Type
Perennial subshrub
Flower / Leaf Color
Bright yellow flowers; pinnately compound green leaflets
Lifespan
Perennial
Size
Height
0.2–0.6 m
Spread
0.3–0.5 m
Habitat & Behavior
Uses
Medicinal; edible in small quantities (leaves contain oxalic acid)
Wildlife Attraction
Pollinators (bees, butterflies)
Native Region
Mexico to El Salvador, Lesser Antilles, tropical South America
Current Distribution
Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, northern South America
Habitat
Seasonally dry tropical scrub, coastal disturbed areas, roadsides, dry forest edges
Sources: IUCN Red List · Plants of the World Online · USDA PLANTS Database · Encyclopedia of Life