Episode 265: gold veined oxalis (Oxalis debilis 'Aureoreticulata')

Oxalis debilis ‘Aureoreticulata’ aka the gold veined oxalis. Photograph: Jane Perrone

TRANSCRIPT

Jane Perrone 00:15

Fancy meeting you here. Welcome. It's On The Ledge Podcast. I'm Jane Perrone. And in this week's show, we're talking about a very special oxalis. And we'll be hearing from listener Alice. Apologies for the unscheduled absence of the podcast. Last week, I went and got myself some COVID for the third time since the pandemic began, not great timing, with a book launching and a lot else going on. But there you go, that's the way the cookie crumbles. I'm out of isolation and feeling almost normal again, well as close to normal as I ever get.

Jane Perrone 00:53

I want to kick off this episode with an announcement, which sounds terribly serious. And I guess in a way it is, first off to reassure you On The Ledge is not ending. If you're a Patreon subscriber, you will already know what I'm about to say because I sent out a message to Patreon subscribers earlier this week. But for everyone else, here's the details On The Ledge has been a weekly podcast for all of the years, the six and a half years since its inception, but I've made the decision that from now on the show is going to come out every other Friday, rather than every Friday. So the reasons why I need to make this podcast less regularly are various. First off, I've been making this show for over six years now, pretty much one a week, probably about 45 episodes a year, every year, with four hours a week from my wonderful assistant Kelly, that is quite a big strain. A lot of big shows that are published that often are produced by a team of people. And I need to make room for other projects. So that I can come back to On The Ledge fresh with renewed vigour because the last thing I want is for the show to become stale, and boring and uninspired. I've already emailed Patreon subscribers about this change. I'm going to keep my Patreon tiers as they are. And what that means for Patreon subscribers is that rather than two episodes of an extra leaf every month, you will get one episode. I'm not changing the tiers, I actually feel like the tiers are pretty good value for money. In terms of Ledge End, which is the vast majority of my members, you're still getting ad free editions of every show, you're still getting the Christmas mailout you're still getting the first 50 episodes of the show, and all the back catalogue of An Extra Leaf episodes that are already there. But I do appreciate that some people might still want to cancel their membership. And that's absolutely fine. If you've got any issues about Patreon, please do drop me a line if you haven't done already.

Jane Perrone 03:20

Is this forever? Well, I don't know. I'm going to see how I get on publishing every other week. I'm not promising that that won't change again. But there are very few shows that have been going as long as mine. And so I feel like it's my right to change it up a little bit and try something different. And I hope that this will mean that the quality of each episode will continue to be as high as I can make it. So that's the skinny if you've got any questions, do drop me a line. I'm happy to help. And remember, you can also find me on social media too. And at Houseplant Hour every Tuesday at 9pm which I co host with Lisa Eldred-Steinkopf The Houseplant Guru. Yet more copies of Legends Of The Leaf have been plopping on to doormats around the world and it's been fantastic to get continuing feedback, please, please do go and leave a review, if you can. I've seen a couple of reviews on goodreads.com which is wonderful and said very nice things about the book yet to see a review on Amazon. I know there's been a bit of a delay in the UK anyway with amazon.co.uk deliveries of the book so if you haven't received yours yet, I apologise. Hopefully it will be on its way soon. If you've never listened to this show before and you're wondering what on earth Legends Of The Leaf is well, let me. How can I summarise this in a way that I haven't done so already? Well if you want to find out why people ascribed magical powers to string of pearls. What you can do with a snake plant, a credit card and some water. And why kentia palms were the least surprising thing at the lying in state of Queen Victoria, then this is the book for you. It profiles 25 iconic house plants and brings you loads of amazing facts and also valuable care information. You can find out all the salient information about the book and where you can get hold of it at legendsoftheleafbook.com.

Jane Perrone 05:43

In the book I cover the wonderful houseplant Oxalis triangularis, the purple false leaf shamrock, but in this episode, I want to turn my beady eye onto a different member of this genus, namely the gold veined oxalis. Now this is a cheeky little plant in my experience. The first thing to say from a name point of view is that the name it's most frequently given online and in plant labels is Oxalis corymbosa 'Aureoreticulata' what a mouthful for a start. This is actually an outdated species name. The up to date species name that taxonomists have awarded it is Oxalis debilis, d-e-b-i-l-i-s, which I prefer because corymbosa is a bit of a mouthful. So Oxalis debilis is the species and the cultivar name is Aureoreticulata. That just meaning yellow veins. And if you've never seen this plant, well imagine a little shamrock type plant. With bright gold channels that mark out its network of veins. It's low growing I guess we'd call it ground cover if it was outdoors, rarely getting to anything taller than sort of 15 centimetres, and the leaves get about maximum about five centimetres across. The flowers when produced look a bit like other members of the wood sorrel family. In this case, they're pink, there are other species that have yellow flowers and white flowers. But these little pink trumpets, to me are the worst part of the plant. I don't like the colour compared to the yellow and green foliage, so I tend to remove them straight away. I don't feel like they add much, but feel free to disagree. And those are generally produced in the spring or they can turn up sporadically throughout the year.

Jane Perrone 07:55

What should we know about this plant? Well, the oxalis family all contains high levels of oxalic acid, which gives the leaves a lemony flavour. This is an edible leaf. Like many other members of the oxalis family, just bear in mind that if you have various conditions like gout, you need to be a little bit careful with this leaf in the buildup of oxalic acid, but you would have to eat pounds of the stuff for it to make any difference. And as I always say, only eat leaves that have not just been bought on a plant straight from the shop, let the plant grow lots of fresh new leaves which haven't been treated with anything other than water. So you can enjoy those leaves safely if you choose to eat them. But I think given the size of this plant, this is probably a plant that you're going to want to look at rather than eat.

Jane Perrone 08:46

And how do I use this plant? Well, it's partly a matter of luck, rather than judgement with the way this plant is displayed around my house. It grows from tiny little bulbils which I found a really rather great description on the Glasshouse Works website which described them as looking like let me just find the quote, odd little white tapioca like soft orbs, which is just about right. And they mentioned this because a customer of theirs had mistaken them for maggots and thrown them out. Now these little bulbils will get everywhere. So if you use potting mixes, you'll find that this little plant will spread around your plants but in my experience, that's been a great thing. So I have this plant growing as a little bit of ground cover in the tops of a few different pots including my Hoya polyneura, and I find that's the way that it grows best. It really does seem to do best when it's part of a little grouping with another plant. It does mean also that if you have this plant growing on its own, it's easy to make new plants you can just separate out some of these bulbils and pot up separately and there you go, you've got a new plant. The bulbils themselves are tiny I'm talking about, they're smaller than the size of a pea about half that size. So they really can slip into anything if you allow them to do so.

Jane Perrone 10:13

One interesting thing that I discovered in my research for this episode was the origin of those variegated leaves. Now, in last week's show, we were talking about the difference between monocots and dicots, monocots, being pants with single seed leaves and various other characteristics in common, including parallel veins, and dicots, being those with two seed leaves as seedlings and network like veins. So the Oxalis aureoreticulata is definitely in the dicot category. And interestingly, I did discover some research talking about the reason for this varieties gold veins, it's attributed to a begomovirus. Now I'd never heard of this term before, but it's basically an umbrella term for a group of viruses, which are transmitted I think, by whitefly on the whole. And this group of viruses infects dicot plants. So of course, oxalis being in that category, and does include some viruses, which can cause a huge amount of damage to commercial crops like tomatoes, so obviously a serious issue. But the particular virus that has affected this plant has caused something that is seen as beneficial from the horticultural world's point of view. So there are some viruses that can do this, they can produce a characteristic in a plant that we see as beneficial. And in this case, it's these gold veins. So along that network of veins across the shamrock like leaves, each of them is traced with gold, and it provides a really nice contrast with the mid green of the leaves. I'll put a link in the show notes to a research paper that I found in connection with this. I couldn't access the whole paper but looking at the abstract, that seemed to be the nature of it. And again, there are other examples of begomoviruses that have affected plants in a positive way. Another example being the abutilon family, sometimes grown as houseplants or conservatory shrubs, the variegated forms of those, again, a begomovirus is thought to be responsible for their yellow splattering on those leaves.

Jane Perrone 12:33

Oxalis debilis, it's been described in 1824. So it's been known to Western science and horticulture for an awfully long time. And it has spread from its native territory, which is Central America and also Guyana and Paraguay, and has spread to many, many parts of the world with subtropical, tropical and to some extent, warm temperate climates. Kew's Plants Of The World Online describes it as a tuberous geophyte, geophyte meaning just a plant that's got some kind of underground storage organ. And perhaps not surprisingly, given that huge spread some medicinal uses have been found for this plant, particularly I think, in India the leaves as I say can be eaten. And I did read about the leaves being used for their similarity to tamarind and also the root being edible, and the flowers being edible. So, uh, you know, round useful plant in India, I think the leaves are used specifically to treat diarrhoea. And there's been some scientific research looking into that.

Jane Perrone 13:38

So yeah, a plant that's widespread and certainly well used. And a variety aureoreticulata does make a nice little house plant. Like other members of the oxalis family, it does have a bit of a tendency to go dormant. If it gets too hot and dry. I tend not to worry about that, because if this plant does get hot and dry, the other thing that happens is it gets red spider mites, it's a real red spider mite magnet. So if my plants are looking a bit miserable, I quite like to just remove the leaves, let it go dormant and re sprout when it's ready. It does have that capacity because of these bulbils, which are tiny. I've read descriptions of how it grows in the wild saying that it grows generally in sandy soil. I find it it's pretty flexible as to where it will grow. But good drainage is obviously important. So those bulbils don't rot. And you can certainly buy this plant I know from at least one or two places in the UK as bulbils. I know West Cornwall Carnivores, which has a quite good selection of oxalis actually does sell it in that form. And if you wanted to just start them off that way, it's a cheap way of getting them going. You probably need to offer them a little bit of propagator heat, if you're doing it in early spring, summertime should, they should just sprout under their own accord. If you are going to grow them in quite well draining soil you will have to water regularly. The leaves themselves are very thin and fine. They don't have a great water storage capacity. So moisture needs to be steady and if you don't have a steady moisture source, then that's when you get this situation where the leaves will start to look really off colour and often spider mites will follow with a stressed oxalis.

Jane Perrone 15:31

If you want to expand your oxalis horizons beyond triangularis and the gold veined oxalis that we've been talking about today, there are quite a few options. Other species include Oxalis tetraphylla, this is often sold under an old name Oxalis deppei and known as the Iron Cross oxalis because the leaves have a sort of maroon dark brown splodge in the centre, a bit like Begonia masoniana the Iron Cross begonia. I have found that to not be entirely successful as a houseplant in my house. Generally it does better outside I just don't think it gets enough light indoors. But you may know differently in your home, it may grow well for you. It's definitely worth a try. And it is an attractive plant. It just tends to sprawl rather alarmingly indoors for me. And the other plant which sadly I lost in the heatwave last summer was a cultivar of Oxalis vulcanicola. And that particular one was Plum Crazy, beautiful plant, I grew this so well. And then I went away on holiday when it was really, really hot. And it was the only plant that succumbed. Unusually for an oxalis, I don't think this has much in the way of underground storage organs. So it's just got a fibrous root system, and it just wasn't able to support itself, given those very, very thin leaves. If anyone in the UK has one of these, they want to do a swap for I'd love to have this plant back in my collection. There are various cultivars of Oxalis vulcanicola out there other ones I've come across include Zinfandel, which is obviously wine red colour, and Molten Lava, which has got sort of lime green and red tinged leaves. Oftentimes, they're sold in the US as bedding plants. So they're a nice thing to look out for. They're becoming more common here in the UK, definitely worth a look. And vulcanicola has a similar range to debelis. We're talking Central America. So it's like Costa Rica and Panama, and parts of Mexico, and also El Salvador. So it's yeah, the same region of the world. And I don't think this one has become invasive in the same way, as debelis has. So for whatever reason, it hasn't spread across the world in the same way. Maybe fascinating to know why. But I don't have any answers to that unfortunately.

Jane Perrone 18:02

I have one more oxalis in my collection to mention, and that is Oxalis ortgiesii. Now I could have sworn that I've mentioned this on the podcast before, but I can't find any mention of it. This is a plant that I found listed in plant catalogues of the past I think probably dating to the early 1900s as a really popular and common oxalis to grow indoors. Oxalis ortgiesii. But where is this plant now? I couldn't find any record of it. And I must have mentioned this in the show. I just can't find which episode it was in. Perhaps somebody could help me with that. But a listener called Mark Lashmar, who's actually been on the show got in touch because he had this plant and grows it regularly. And so I got a baby plant from him. And that's another plant that's in my collection. Like a lot of other oxalis it goes a bit grim at certain times of year, but it's now on an upward stroke and looking quite nice. It has this very dark, almost black foliage and yellow flowers. It's known as the fishtail oxalis because of the shape of the leaves. This one's definitely worth looking up. It's also known as the tree oxalis, which gives you an idea that this too can be quite sprawling. So that's another one to look out for. If you're interested in the oxalis clan.

Jane Perrone 19:19

I hope that's piqued a bit of interest for you. And I'll try to put as much info as possible into the show notes to help you find out more about the species but I'd love to hear from you. If there are other oxalis species that you grow as part of your houseplant collection that you love. I'd love to hear about it. Do drop me a line to ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com.

Jane Perrone 19:42

And now it's time for Meet the Listener. Yes, we're back with another fan of the show. And this week it's Alice.

Alice 20:00

Hello, my name is Alice. I'm a French girl living in France. And I've been a plant lover for maybe seven or eight years now. I recently created a plant club to meet up with plant lovers in my city. And it's really fun. It's really cool to make plant friends.

Jane Perrone 20:22

When did you get into houseplants and why?

Alice 20:26

I got into houseplants...yeah, seven or eight years ago, I was having debilitating health issues, had to leave work, leave my place and the city where I was working, and come back to my parents place. So it was very sad. I couldn't do all the things I used to. And one day my best friend gave me some cuttings from succulents. And she showed me how I could grow new plants just from tiny leaves. And I thought it was just so cool and magical. And I was hooked. So that's how it started. And it was a blessing at the time because I was honestly quite bored and depressed.

Jane Perrone 21:07

What's the latest addition to your houseplant collection?

Alice 21:10

The latest addition to my collection is, or was, a Begonia erythrophylla. It was my first begonia. I got it from a Facebook swap. And it was just a small cutting. I think it had thrips I didn't see them, but it showed signs of, of thrips so I tried to treat it but the leafs didn't like it so much and well, they fell off. So now it's just a stump. And I'm hoping it's going to grow back. Because I was quite excited to have my first begonia.

Jane Perrone 21:51

Complete the sentence. I love my houseplants because...

Alice 21:55

I love my house plants for so many reasons. They are just so beautiful. I used to be a graphic designer, and I'm really amazed at all the different foliage and the patterns. It really allows me to express my creativity into my apartment. Also, they give me company. They are I wouldn't say family, but definitely roommates and they need me I need them. We have to compromise sometimes. At the moment they kind of trying to take over my place. But I am not letting them do that. I also love that they teach you things all the time. Every time you get a new plant, you have to learn something new because they're all different. And I think that's just so cool. They teach you patience, and they teach you that failure is just a way of learning and that you can always move forward and improve.

Jane Perrone 22:58

Who is your houseplant hero?

Alice 23:01

My houseplant hero is definitely Benji from Benjiplant on YouTube. I think he's so stylish. I love how he displays his plants, especially in his previous apartment. And he really picks the plants that he loves, he's not really into trends or not too much. And he's got a way of talking about his passion that is very soothing and inspiring. I'm really really a big fan.

Jane Perrone 23:34

Name your plantagonist, the plant you simply cannot get along with.

Alice 23:41

I wouldn't say I have a plantagonist but I do have a love hate relationship with my Calathea makoyana I used to love it so much. And I don't know if I gave it the right conditions to grow properly. But it's a bit of a diva. Maybe it's not my fault. And yeah, at the moment, it's not looking so great. It's it looks healthy, but it's not growing any new leaves. And I still have trouble finding the right spot for it, doesn't like to be moved, not too much light, not too little light. So I'm going to have to dig it up, see what's going on there. Maybe just give it fresh soil and we'll be friends again. I hope so. Because it is a very, very beautiful plant in my opinion.

Jane Perrone 24:40

Thank you so much, Alice. And I love the sound of your house plant club in your city. What a great way to meet new people. And I haven't come across Benjiplants on YouTube before but I've just subscribed so thanks for that suggestion. And everyone else I'd love you. Yes, youto put yourself forward for Meet the Listener, we've had a bit of a dearth of people coming forward for this slot recently. Let's make that change because you are the lifeblood of On The Ledge and I need to hear your voices. So all you need to do if you're going to put your brave pants on and get in touch is email ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com and my capable assistant Kelly will be in touch with the simple instructions for taking part.

Jane Perrone 25:29

That's all for this week's show. I will be back in two weeks as previously discussed so the next episode will be on May the 26th and it'll be coming from the Chelsea Flower Show. Yes, it's that time of year again. So I'll be bringing you some highlights. House planty highlights obviously from the Chelsea Flower Show on May the 26th. Until then have a fantastic fortnight that's what we British people call a period of two weeks. I know it's not a universally understood term but anyway have a fantastic couple of weeks people and I'll see you soon bye.

Jane Perrone 26:26

The music you heard in this podcast was Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops. The Road We Used To Travel When We Were Kids by Komiku. Chiefs by Jahzzar and Dizzy Spells by Josh Woodward and the ad music was Fire Tree by Axletree. All tracks are Licenced under Creative Commons. Visit the show notes for details.

I profile the beautiful gold veined oxalis (Oxalis debilis ‘Aureoreticulata’) and we hear from listener Alice in Meet the Listener.

Check out the show notes as you listen…

• The correct scientific name for the gold-veined oxalis is Oxalis debilis ‘Aureoreticulata’ alhtough you will often see it stioll sold under an old name, O. corymbosa.

• It is native to Central and South America but has spread to large swatches of the tropical and subtropical world as well as some warmer temperate climes. Check out its page on Plants of the World Online to see a distribution map.

• The leaves are edible and taste lemony but the plant is so small there is not a huge harvest. They are high in oxalic acid so should not be eaten in huge quantities anyway.

• The plant grows from small white bulbils and if you reuse houseplant substrates, it might spread around your houseplants and pop up in unexpected places.

• As with other oxalis houseplant species, it has a tendency to die back when conditions are not ideal, particularly during hot summers, but it should resprout from the bulbils.

• It is also a red spider mite magnet, especially in hot weather, and the best way of treating it is to remove all the leaves and let it resprout.

• The yellow veins in ‘Aureoreticulata’ are thought to be caused by a begomovirus - I found a scientific paper talking about this here.

• This plant makes a great ‘ground cover’ plant in the top of larger plants to cover bare soil.

• Other Oxalis species worth growing as houseplants include Oxalis triangularis (episode on that here), Oxalis vulcanicola which has some nice cultivars including ‘Plum Crazy’, ‘Zinfandel’ and ‘Molten Lava’ and the now very rare Oxalis ortgiesii, the fishtail oxalis.

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THIS WEEK’S SPONSOR

Thanks to Treleaf for supporting this week’s show. Treleaf’s high quality, durable wooden trellises are made in their workshop in Atlanta Georgia, using locally sourced timber. Treleaf’s range of trellis can work with any houseplant you can imagine, including staked and wall mounted designs and modular trellises that grow with the plant. 

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CREDITS

This week's show featured the tracks Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops, The Road We Use To Travel When We Were Kids by Komiku, Chiefs by Jahzzar and Dizzy Spells by Josh Woodward. The ad music is Fire Tree by Axletree.