Yellow Woodsorrel Identification Guide
Identify yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) by its clover-like heart-shaped leaflets in threes, small five-petaled yellow flowers, and okra-like seed capsules that burst.
Read the full Yellow Woodsorrel encyclopedia entry →
Key Identifying Features
Yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) is a low, weak-stemmed perennial (or short-lived) broadleaf weed often mistaken for clover. The giveaways are three heart-shaped leaflets, small bright-yellow five-petaled flowers, and slender upright seed pods that resemble tiny okra and pop open to fling seeds.
- Three heart-shaped (notched) leaflets that fold along the midrib
- Small five-petaled yellow flowers
- Cylindrical, pointed seed capsules held upright
- Weak, sprawling to weakly upright stems, 4-15 inches tall
Leaves & Stems
Leaves are palmately trifoliate: three inverted-heart-shaped leaflets joined at a central point, each with a notched tip. They fold downward at night or in heat. This separates them from clover, whose leaflets are oval and unnotched and often bear a pale crescent. Stems are slender, branching, often pale green to reddish, sometimes hairy, and weakly upright or sprawling, reaching 4-15 inches.
Flowers & Fruit
Flowers appear from spring through fall: small (about 1/3 inch), bright yellow, with five petals, borne in small clusters on slender stalks. The fruit is highly distinctive: a narrow, ridged, upward-pointing capsule shaped like a tiny okra pod, which bursts explosively when ripe, scattering seeds several feet. The combination of yellow flowers and okra-like pods is conclusive.
How to Tell It Apart from Look-Alikes
- Clover (Trifolium): oval (not heart-notched) leaflets, often with a whitish chevron mark, and round pom-pom flowers; woodsorrel has notched heart leaflets and yellow 5-petaled flowers.
- Black medic (Medicago lupulina): yellow flowers in tight clusters and trifoliate leaves, but its leaflets are oval with a tiny tooth at the tip and it lacks the okra-like exploding pod.
- Creeping woodsorrel (Oxalis corniculata): very similar but with creeping, rooting stems and often purplish leaves; O. stricta is more upright.
The heart-shaped trifoliate leaves + yellow flowers + exploding okra-like pods confirm yellow woodsorrel.
Where You'll Find It
A near-ubiquitous weed of lawns, gardens, flower beds, greenhouses, sidewalk cracks, fields, and disturbed ground throughout North America and beyond. It tolerates sun and partial shade and pops up readily in cultivated soil and container plants.
Quick ID Checklist
- Three heart-shaped notched leaflets (clover-like)
- Small bright yellow 5-petaled flowers
- Upright okra-shaped seed capsules that burst
- Leaves fold down at night/heat
- Common lawn, garden, and crack weed
Frequently asked questions
How is yellow woodsorrel different from clover?
Woodsorrel has heart-shaped, notched leaflets, five-petaled yellow flowers, and okra-like exploding seed pods, while clover has oval unnotched leaflets (often with a pale crescent) and round pom-pom flowers.
What are the okra-shaped pods?
They are the seed capsules. When ripe, they split open explosively and fling seeds several feet, which helps the plant spread quickly through gardens and lawns.
Do the leaves really fold up?
Yes. The heart-shaped leaflets fold downward at night and during intense heat or stress, a movement called nyctinasty, then reopen in good conditions.
How do I tell it from creeping woodsorrel?
Yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) is more upright, while creeping woodsorrel (Oxalis corniculata) has stems that creep and root along the ground and often has purplish leaves.