Oxalis tetraphylla Cav.

Apparently stemless herb; roots vertical, fasciculate, turnip-like or cylindric, sometimes with profuse and very long fibrous branches; bulb globose or ovoid to 4 cm long, 3 cm diam., formed by the reduced conic or discoid stem, the scales and the stipules connate to the petioles; bulbils distant on thin stolons, rarely observed in present material; outer scales scarious, brownish or with hyaline margin, the outermost row linear, 3-5-nerved, 4-18 mm long, 1-12 mm wide, sharp, sometimes absent or lost in collecting, the other ovate or largely ovate-triangular, (5-)7-14-nerved, 15-17 mm long, 5-8 mm wide, abruptly acute; inner nutritious scales yellow, thick rigid, flat-convex or subconcave, 3-5(-7)-nerved, the nerves broad, prominent, 3-7 mm long, 2-7 mm wide; stipules hyaline or scarious, whitish or reddish-brown, connate, broad at the bse, 12-30 mm long, 4-13 mm wide, auriculate at the apex, 1-2 mm long, rarely acute, (5-)10-12-nerved, 5-7 nerves more salient, alternate with the other 5-7 and 2 lateral thinner nerves that do not reach the apex and are sometimes absent; in both bracts and stipules the nerves joining at different levels, only a few reaching the apex or running into the petiole, all having rigid rusty hairs 5-6 mm long inside and long cilia at the margins. Leaves with 4 leaflets, exceptionally in young plants 3, subequal, obovate or subtriangular, rarely suborbicular or with divergent lobules, 20-70 mm long, 25-75 mm wide, truncate, roundish, incised 1/lo of its length, the midrib sometimes lengthened with a short mucro, discolorous, with a transverse fringe, purplish to blackish in the middle, the hairs simple or rarely short pluri-cellular, reddish on the nerves below, rarely above and on the margin, generally with small unequal translucid or dark oxalate spots located near the incision on the margin or scattered on the upper part of the blade; petioles 5-30 cm, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Inflorescences of bifid cymes, umbelliform 3-2-flowered, pe-duncles as tall as the foliage or much taller, to 50 cm, similar to the petioles; bracts 2-4 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, and bracteoles smaller, hyaline, ovate to rhombic, generally keeled, the midrib lengthened in a mucro, sometimes covered with oxalate calli, irregularly long ciliate; pedicels to 17 mm articulate at the base. Flowers with the sepals green, oblong to elliptic, 4-7.5 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, the margin hyaline, obtuse, truncate to subacute, glabrous or with a few hairs and glandular hairs, the apex ciliate with 2-4 unequal, linear, apically parallel calli, obtuse, truncate or subacute; petals pink to violet, the lower part greenish-white, 2-5 times the length of the calyx, seldom with glandular and short hairs outside; stamens longer, 2.5-4 mm long, with short hirsute, uneven hairs and glandular hairs above, the ligule large, linear, obtuse, near the middle the shorter stamens 1.5-2.5 mm long, enlarged to the base, glabrous, connate to ?/4-?/2; pistils mostly macrostylous, only 1 mesostylous and 1 microstylous, 5-7 mm long, the ovary glabrous or with hairs at the top of the carpel backs, the styles pilose with curved hairs and a few glandular hairs, the stigma bifid, papillose, the carpels 3-6-ovuled. Capsule cylindric, acute, 13 mm long, glabrous, the calyx up to 1/4 of its length, the styles ca. 1.5 mm long, the carpels 4-5-seeded, the interior pilose; seeds tawny, ovoid, flattened, apiculate, 1.25 mm long, 9-14-ribbed in zig-zag, the 12-16 transversal striae prominent.

Locally naturalized in mountain Cinchona estates, c. 1600 m, sometimes gregarious, propagating by bulbils; fruit unknown from Java. Apparently functionally heterostylous. In Malesia only the SF has been found so far. Dimensions of the LF have been taken from MATTHEW. l.c.

Uses. Ornamental plant and for ground-cover, but difficult to eradicate; leaves eaten as vegetable ( HEYNE Nutt. Pl. 1927 ).

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings.