Oxalis acetosella L. ssp. montana (Raf.) Hultén ex D. Löve
Oxalis acetosella L. var. rhodantha (Fernald) R. Knuth
Oxalis montana Raf.
Common wood sorrel, mountain woodsorrel, wood shamrock, white woodsorrel
Wood sorrel’s name is an English distortion of sorrel de boys, a Middle French expression meaning “sour,” a reference to the taste of the leaves. Oxalic acid, the agent responsible for the sour taste, was first isolated from members of this genus, hence the acid’s name. It spreads by extending rhizomes (roots) or stolons (essentially above-ground roots).
Plants: Woodsorrels are less than 4″ (10 cm) high, and evergreen.
Leaves: Leaves are basal, in groups of three heart-shaped leaflets that resemble clover. The leaves are stemless, emerging directly from the roots. They fold and unfold slowly in response to sunlight.
Flowers: Delicate and beautiful, white or pink, with darker pink veins and five petals, about ¾″ (1.9 cm) around.
Fruits: A round capsule.
Habitats: On forest floors, especially hemlock and spruce fir forests, in rich and somewhat moist soils; tolerates shade.
Edibility: Wood sorrel is mildly poisonous, though its sharp sour taste is likely to dissuade anyone from eating it by accident.
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 90
Oxalis acetosella auct. non L.
Oxalis acetosella L. ssp. montana (Raf.) Hultén ex D. Löve
Oxalis acetosella L. var. rhodantha (Fernald) R. Knuth
Oxalis acetosella L. ssp. montana (Raf.) Hultén ex D. Löve
Oxalis acetosella L. var. rhodantha (Fernald) R. Knuth
6/13/2021 · Cathance River Nature Preserve, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 4 × 3½″ (10 × 9 cm) 
7/1/2026 · Widgeon Cove, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
7/12/2015 · Bingham Falls, Smuggler’s Notch State Park, Cambridge, Vermont · ≈ 6 × 6″ (16 × 14 cm) 
7/12/2015 · Bingham Falls, Smuggler’s Notch State Park, Cambridge, Vermont · ≈ 7 × 6″ (18 × 15 cm) 
8/19/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 5″ (13 × 13 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
A missing leaf ... or a green butterfly? · 9/4/2020 · Widgeon Cove Trail, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 3 × 2½″ (8.2 × 7.3 cm) 
9/21/2023 · Borestone Mountain, Elliotsville, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
8/16/2020 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm) 
7/12/2015 · Bingham Falls, Smuggler’s Notch State Park, Cambridge, Vermont · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm) 
7/1/2026 · Widgeon Cove, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4 × 2½″ (10 × 6.8 cm) 
6/13/2021 · Cathance River Nature Preserve, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 3 × 2½″ (8.3 × 6.7 cm) 
6/6/2026 · Lincoln, New Hampshire · By Heather A. Kent 
6/19/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm) 
A natural variegated form. · 7/11/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near NH Line, Dunstable, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
8/28/2020 · Jack’s and Litchfield Trails, Chase Reserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 11 cm) 
10/6/2023 
8/16/2015 · Table Rock Hike, Appalacian Trail, Grafton Notch State Park · ≈ 6 × 7″ (15 × 18 cm) 
6/18/2024 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine 
6/19/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 5 × 4″ (13 × 10 cm) 
Several plants are missing a leaflet, making green butterflies. · 9/4/2020 · Widgeon Cove Trail, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Geraniales | Balsams, mustards, geraniums, wood sorrels, nasturtiums, others |
| Family | Oxalidaceae | Wood sorrels |
| Genus | Oxalis | Wood sorrels (Oxalis means “sour”) |
| Species | montana | “Of the mountains” |
Oxalis montana description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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