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False Shamrock

Oxalis triangularis

Found in disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 53%

Height
6 inches–1.5 feet
Spread
1–2 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial

Not yet recorded · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 1 Alabama county.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

5CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Oxalis

  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Galgula partitaThe Wedgling
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
18BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Oxalis

  • Ammodramus savannarumGrasshopper Sparrow
  • Ammospiza leconteiiLeConte's Sparrow
  • Antigone canadensisSandhill Crane
  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
  • Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
  • Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Show all 18
  • Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
  • Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
  • Passer domesticusHouse Sparrow
  • Pooecetes gramineusVesper Sparrow
  • Spizella passerinaChipping Sparrow
  • Spizella pusillaField Sparrow
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Oxalidaceae
Hardiness
Zones 8a–11b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Purple or white

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Alabama rankNot available
Global rankGNR
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources