Woodsorrels have Shamrock leaves
Oxalis species have trifoliate leaves
Not to be confused with Sorrels which are in the Dock family.
Creeping wood-sorrel Oxalis corniculata
This Oxalis is also known as Procumbent yellow-sorrel and is the smallest-flowered woodsorrel I’ve seen. It grows on my patio underneath my dining room doors. The small trifoliate leaves are approx 3cm across and have a purple tinge. In my garden it grows in gravel in full sun and flowers all summer. It is a low plant up to about 10cm high and creeping (unlike Oxalis stricta which is upright).
![procumbent yellow-sorrel door oxalis corniculata seaford patio jun 2022](https://photographingwildflowers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/procumbent-yellow-sorrel-door-oxalis-corniculata-seaford-patio-jun-2022-600x450.jpg)
You can see from the flower pics that the flowering stems hold 2 – 3 flowers (unlike Oxalis exilis which only has one).
![procumbent yellow-sorrel oxalis corniculata seaford patio jun 2022](https://photographingwildflowers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/procumbent-yellow-sorrel-oxalis-corniculata-seaford-patio-jun-2022-600x450.jpg)
![procumbent yellow-sorrel leaves oxalis corniculata seaford patio jun 2022](https://photographingwildflowers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/procumbent-yellow-sorrel-leaves-oxalis-corniculata-seaford-patio-jun-2022-600x450.jpg)
The small yellow flowers are about 1cm across with five petals and ten stamens.
![procumbent yellow-sorrel flower oxalis corniculata seaford patio jun 2022](https://photographingwildflowers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/procumbent-yellow-sorrel-flower-oxalis-corniculata-seaford-patio-jun-2022-600x450.jpg)
Wood-sorrel – Oxalis acetosella
I found this lovely little plant – or rather hubby Mike did – in woodland in West Sussex among Beech trees. The larger white flower was fully open in April and the whole plant was only a few cm off the ground. The green trifoliate leaves looked as if they were drooping and were larger than the yellow sorrel above. The flowers were about 2 to 3cm across, only one per stem. Each flower was nodding while in bud and had five fat white petals with lavender veins, five yellow marks near the centre, and ten white stamens.
![wood-sorrel oxalis acetosella droke forest sussex apr 2022](https://photographingwildflowers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/wood-sorrel-oxalis-acetosella-droke-forest-sussex-apr-2022-scaled-e1649699501582-600x310.jpg)
You can see that the little wildflower is growing near the base of a tree.
![wood-sorrel oxalis acetosella context droke forest sussex apr 2022](https://photographingwildflowers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/wood-sorrel-oxalis-acetosella-context-droke-forest-sussex-apr-2022-600x450.jpg)
![wood-sorrel oxalis acetosella leaves droke forest sussex apr 2022](https://photographingwildflowers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/wood-sorrel-oxalis-acetosella-leaves-droke-forest-sussex-apr-2022-600x450.jpg)
Pink-sorrel – Oxalis articulata
This introduced species is now found commonly in the wild. We have it in Seaford and I see it sometimes on my health walk near the cemetery. The one in the picture was growing in long grass at Rye Harbour nature reserve. It was in full flower in May when I visited. The small candy pink flowers are about 2cm held in umbels on stems about 15 to 20cm high.
![pink sorrel oxalis articulata rye harbour may 2021](https://photographingwildflowers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/pink-sorrel-oxalis-articulata-rye-harbour-may-2021-600x450.jpg)
I have labelled these Woodsorrels – Oxalis with the tags woodsorrel and oxalis.
https://photographingwildflowers.co.uk/tag/woodsorrel/
https://photographingwildflowers.co.uk/tag/oxalis/