Oregon Oxalis

This familiar ground cover is easy to spot along many woodland hiking trails in our area. It blooms in Spring and is native to Oregon, Washington, and northern California. Oregon Oxalis (Oxalis oregano) leaves have a sour flavor due to the oxalic acid in the plant. On a hiking outing in 1979, in the Mt. Hood area, we stopped to admire these plants and another hiker we did not know came up and picked some of the leaves and then offered some to our daughter, who was about 10 at the time! "Want a sour salad," he said. We all tried the salad and enjoyed the unique taste.

These photos were taken along the Wilson River trail, in the Coast Range. (4/06/2007)

Oxalis with False Lily of the Valley leaves

Oxalis with Bleeding Hearts