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Yellow woodsorrel Oxalis stricta
IDENTIFICATION — If yellow woodsorrel has something to lean on, it can grow to be 20 in. tall. But it’s usually more mounding to sprawling. It has tiny yellow flowers almost all of the growing season. Each leaflet is shaped like a small heart and folds up at night. When touched, the ripe seed pods explode to shoot the seeds great distances.
FAVORITE CONDITIONS — You’ll find yellow woodsorrel in flower beds, lawns and even containers. It grows in most any kind of soil, but tends to be less aggressive in fertile soil. And it tolerates both sun and shade.
CONTROL —?The stems break easily, making it difficult to pull. But if you do it when the soil is moist, it’s much easier and you’re more likely to get all of the roots out. It’s easier to hoe out the shallow roots, and large areas of it can also be controlled by herbicides. This perennial spreads by seeds and underground rhizomes.
