Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Account for Price's Yellow Woodsorrel - Oxalis macrantha   (Trelease) Small
Members of Oxalis with account distribution info or public map:
Google Images
Section 6 » Family Oxalidaceae
Show/Hide Synonym
Author(Trelease) Small
DistributionTwo historical collections from Stanly County, one in 1932 and the second in 1963, apparently from the same general area; specimen(s) at Harvard University.

This is essentially a Mideast species (west of the Appalachians), ranging from TN and KY south to GA, the FL Panhandle, and LA, including the disjunct site(s) in Stanly County, NC.
AbundanceAlways extremely rare, and now of historical occurrence, not likely to be re-discovered in NC.
HabitatBoth specimens were from steep slopes or bluffs along the Yadkin River, near Badin. Weakley (2018) says "Rich woodlands" for the habitat, though the NC specimens were from steep and rocky slopes and bluffs.
PhenologyBlooms in April and May, and fruits soon after flowering.
IdentificationThe many species of yellow-flowered Oxalis are quite similar to each other, with small details separating most. All are small, branched, with numerous 3-parted, clover-like leaves on long petioles, and inflorescences of bright yellow, 5-petaled flowers. This species, like O. colorea and O. grandis, are the ones with quite large flowers, much larger (about 1.5 inches across the face) than the others (about 3/4-1-inch across). This species has strong red lines at the base of the petals (in the throat of the flower), whereas O. grandis usually has less strong red lines and O. colorea lacks red lines on the petals. O. grandis also has a narrow red or purple margin to the leaves that the others lack. The range does not overlap O. grandis, a species of rich forests in the mountains and upper Piedmont, but it does for O. colorea, which grows in open upland woods in dry or rocky situations.
Taxonomic CommentsVery confusing. NatureServe considers this as O. priceae. However, Weakley (2018) states that "O. macrantha predates O. priceae and thus is the name in use".

Other Common Name(s)Sadie Price's Yellow Woodsorrel, Price's Woodsorrel
State RankSH
Global RankGNR
State StatusSR-D
US Status
USACE-agcp
USACE-emp
County Map - click on a county to view source of record.
Select a source
AllHerbaria
Select an occurrence type
AllCollection_natural