Re: Oxalis herrerae

At 07:13 AM 1/29/99 -0800, Richard Starkeson wrote:
>
>Speaking of well-behaved oxalis (there are some) I have something
>labeled as Oxalis herrerae, which is a nice 8" succulent.  DOes anyone
>know where this is from?  My guess is S.Africa, but if so, I would
>appreciate knowing which climate region.

Hi Richard - 

I grow O. herrerae, in my garden.  It lives under my very large
Tecomaria capensis, on a very dry slope between two stairways (only
about 18"-24" wide), sort of like a raised bed.  Southwestern
exposure.  This cute little guy has 'left' the front, sunnier side
for the a little more shade on the other.  The lax stems carry
fasinating little leaves with a swollen petiole - sort of like a
long green rice grain, or a tiny green cigar, topped with a small
'clover leaf' at the tip.  The flowers are small, regular oxalis-
shaped, a warm yellow fading to a little orangish.  Its companions
are Libertia perigrinans (tiny sword-shaped leaves heavily suffused
with orange-bronze), various crassula sp., and a Bulbine frutescens
form with yellow flowers and orangish backs (a spot from B. f.
'Hallmark').  It is a quite little thing that sometimes does not get
noticed until someone sits on the stairs adjacent to the planting
to eat lunch in the sun (these are public stairs, next to the Morcom
Rose Garden), when more than once I've heard comments of one friend to
another as I work nearby.

I went out just the other day to be sure that it was holding up under
this recurrent frost we've had - seems to be doing fine, possibly
due to the protection of the Tecomaria foliage overhead.

One of my favorite little plants.
Sean O.
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