Species · genus Oxalis · Oxalidaceae

Four-Leaved Pink Sorrel

Oxalis tetraphylla Cav.

Also known as: Lucky Clover · Four-leaf Pink-sorrel · Good-luck-leaf · Fleshy Yellow-sorrel · Four-leaved Sorrel

Growth habit

tuberous geophyte

Native range

El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Panamá

Reference · O. tetraphylla

Cultivars of O. tetraphylla

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

No named cultivars catalogued under O. tetraphylla 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 tetraphylla is a tuberous geophyte from the seasonal climates of Mexico and Central America, storing water and energy below ground in its tubers. Give bright indirect light and water only when the top inch of mix has dried, letting it approach dryness between drinks, since the tubers rot if kept wet. Expect it to slow or die back to dormancy at times — ease off water entirely while it rests rather than forcing growth.

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 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

10–27 °C

Soil mix

Well-draining potting mix with a little grit

Propagation

Separate and pot the small bulbs

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Reddish-pink flowers above the four-lobed 'lucky' leaves

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Oxalidaceae are known for soluble oxalates (oxalic acid), which can be harmful 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.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Four-Leaved Pink 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.