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Violet Woodsorrel

Oxalis violacea

Found in dry to moist forests. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

58
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
6–9 inches
Spread
6–9 inches
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial, from a bulb
Bloom
Spring and summer

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 53 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

All habitats

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)
22BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Oxalis

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist 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

Beetles 1
  • Acmaeodera culta

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Flies 1
  • Bombylius pulchellus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 2
  • Phyciodes tharos
  • Thanaos brizo

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Oxalidaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Green, orange, pink or purple

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Violet Wood Sorrel

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources