The Oxalis GENIUS

Far more than a garden interloper, this flowering plant reveals itself as a quiet triumph in adaptive design — a botanical marvel whose conservation tells a story of resilience, rarity and ecological intelligence

- text HEIDI BERTISH

I know many well-intentioned gardeners to have waged war on Oxalis — the diminutive, jazzy-coloured sorrel that creeps into terracotta pots, nestles itself between paving stones with unnerving determination and, uninvited, can make itself rather comfortable in a flowerbed.

What if this so-called weed is a remarkable and underappreciated members of our native flora?

One of the better-known incarnations of the genus, Oxalis pes-caprae, the yellow daisy-like flower we call 'sour flowers' or 'suurings' is the stuff of childhood summers, plucked by sticky fingers and sucked for its tart, lemony flavour like nature's sherbet dip. What we didn't know is that this is only one of well over 200 species, and the true