A common weed that is a major problem in greenhouse and nursery containers.
Pronunciation
(oks-AL-iss)
Plant Type
All Plants, Weeds
Sunlight
full to part sun
Moisture
average
Soil & Site
tolerates most soils, common in degraded areas
Flowers
yellow with 5 petals, occur from long stalks at the leaf axis
Fruit
he fruit is a pointed cylindrical capsule with flat sides. Seeds are dispersed by explosively ejecting the seeds.
Leaves
The leaves are: purple to olive green, alternate, trifoliate, with smooth margins and fringe hairs. They close up at night.
Stems
The stems are more prostrate than erect and form a long slender rhizome with fibrous roots.
Dimensions
Usually around 6" tall but may reach 1 foot.
Maintenance
As a weed in the soil rather easy to pull, but don't leave pieces of the stem behind since they will root. In a container the plants long slender rhizomes follow the inside edge of the pot and form a mass of stems.