Oxalis tetraphylla

Four-leaved Pink-sorrel
A single leaf showing its 4 leaflets
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Oxalidales
Family:	Oxalidaceae
Genus:	Oxalis
Species:	O. tetraphylla
Binomial name
Oxalis tetraphylla Cav.
Synonyms
Oxalis deppei Lodd. ex Sweet

Oxalis tetraphylla (often still traded under its syn. O. deppei) is a bulbous plant from Mexico. A common name is "Iron Cross", after a famous cultivar; it is also known as "lucky clover", and in a wild or feral state as Four-leaf Sorrel or, least ambiguously, Four-leaved Pink-sorrel.

It has leaves divided into four and has been called "lucky leaf" and even "four-leaf clover", but it is not a true clover. Related to the Common Wood-sorrel (O. acetosella), it is commonly used as an ornamental plant. It is also edible, the flowers and leaves having a sharp lemon flavor. However, since the oxalic acid in the plant can interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients in the body, especially calcium, too much can be harmful.

If planted in early spring it will grow and flower throughout spring and summer. Some bulbs can survive a cold winter but in areas with frost they should be kept in a cool dry place over winter and replanted in the spring. The bulbs will multiply by autumn.

References

• Plants for a Future
• The Plant Press