Common names: English: wood-sorrel, European wood-sorrel, cuckoo-bread, Irish shamrock; Polish: zajęczy szczaw, zajęcza kapusta, zajęcza koniczynka, kukulczy szczaw, szczaw zazuli; French: alleluia, oxalide petite oseille, pain de coucou; German: Sauerklee, wald Sauerklee; Italian: acetosella; Portuguese: azedinha; Spanish: acerderilla; Swedish: harsyra

Description: perennial

Place of origin: Eurasia

Urban habitat:  Found in a wide range of soil types; thrives in moist soils in full or partial shade.

Ecological function: Disturbance-adapted colonizer, soil stabilizer; food for wildlife.

History:  Oxalis acetosella has long a history of human use in its native range in Europe. Its leaves can be consumed cooked or raw and the presence of oxalic acid leads them to have a strong lemony flavor. The fresh or dried leaves have been used medicinally to treat fever, scurvy, tonsillitis, cancer, respiratory problems, indigestion, gonorrhea, hemorrhaging, and used as a diuretic and astringent. Its compound 3-leaved shape accounts for one of its common name Irish shamrock. The species is sometimes confused with Oxalis montana, a species said to be native to North America.