Photo by Even Dankowicz on iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Wood sorrel
Oxalis stricta
- When
- Typically May – October — May, June, July, August, September, October. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where it grows
- Lawns, gardens, woodland edges and pavement cracks.
- How to know it
- Three heart-shaped leaflets that fold down at night, small yellow five-petalled flowers, and a sharp lemon taste.
- Look-alikes
- Clover has oval leaflets with a pale chevron and tastes of nothing. Neither is dangerous.
- Harvest and use
- A bright sour garnish; children love it. Small amounts.
- Caution
- Oxalic acid again — a nibble, not a salad bowl.
Found in these regions
- Boreal North & Taiga
- Boreal Forest & Shield
- Acadian Forest & Atlantic Coast
- Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Lowlands
- Northeast Atlantic Coast & Piedmont
- Appalachian Highlands
- Central Hardwoods & Interior Plateaus
- Southeastern Piedmont & Coastal Plain
- Gulf Coast & Mississippi Lowlands
- Florida Peninsula
- Prairies & Great Plains
- Western Mountains & Interior Plateaus
- Pacific Maritime
- Mediterranean California
- Deserts & Dry Basins
- Hawaiʻi & the Tropics
Is it ready near you?
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Also ready in September
FruitAugust – SeptemberBeach plum
Prunus maritima
Low sprawling shrub in the sand, with dusty purple plums about the size of a marble.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
NutSeptember – OctoberBlack walnut
Juglans nigra
Tennis-ball green husks lying under a tall tree with long compound leaves; the husk stains everything it touches brown.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg · CC BY 4.0
FruitAugust – SeptemberChokecherry
Prunus virginiana
Long drooping clusters of dark red-to-black cherries on a small tree with finely toothed oval leaves.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
Educational information only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom identified from a single photograph or description — confirm with a regional field guide or an experienced forager, and know the poisonous species in your area first.