Species · genus Oxalis · Oxalidaceae

Spiral Sorrel

Oxalis spiralis G.Don

Also known as: Spiral Woodsorrel

Growth habit

subshrub

Native range

Argentina Northwest, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Reference · O. spiralis

Cultivars of O. spiralis

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under O. spiralis yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Oxalis spiralis is a subshrubby wood sorrel from montane regions of South and Central America, where it grows in cool, humid conditions with dappled light. Many Oxalis grow from bulbs or rhizomes that store water and rot if kept soggy, so let the top inch of mix dry before watering and err toward the dry side. Give it bright indirect light and average household humidity; it may slow or die back seasonally, which is normal rather than a sign of trouble.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 10 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

10–27 °C

Soil mix

Light, well-draining potting mix with added grit

Propagation

Divide the small tubers or rhizomes

Fertilizing

Dilute balanced feed monthly during growth

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Cheerful yellow flowers under bright, indirect light

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Oxalidaceae accumulate soluble oxalates (oxalic acid salts), which can irritate and cause harm if ingested in quantity. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

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Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Spiral Sorrel yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.