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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Oxalis pes-caprae (Bermuda Buttercup) |
Oxalis pes-caprae (OXALIDACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Oxalis pes-capraeL.
Published in Sp. Pl. : 434 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Oxalidaceae R. Br. (The WoodSorrel Family)
4 species from the Oxalidaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Bermuda Buttercup, Sour Sob, Cape Sorrel |
Maltese name(s) : |
Ħaxixa Ingliża, Qares |
Status for Malta : |
Invasive Alien. Species that was introduced in Malta any time after year 1492 (Columbus' discovery of the New World),
and spreads rapidly to form large invasive populations to the detriment of native flora or ecosystems. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Monocotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Geophyte ( perennials bearing underground bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, stolons, etc. ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
December – April |
Colour of Flowers: |
Yellow |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Oxalis: sour, acidic, or acrid-tasting, referring to the sour taste of the sap due to the high level of Oxalic acid that is present in most species, especially in the stems, leaves and roots. (Greek origin)
pes-caprae: having the shape of a foot of a goat (pes = foot; capra = goat) alluding to the shape of the leaflets. (Latin origin)
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Planting in rural areas : |
Cannot be planted in the wild (rural areas) since the species may be invasive (see ERA guidelines) |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Sparsely pubescent, caespitose perennial, with a deeply-buried bulb, which emits an annual, ascending, subterranean stem bearing bulbils and a rosette of leaves at soil level. Petioles up to 20 cm; leaflets 8-20 x 12-30 mm, obcordate, deeply emarginate. Flowers infundibuliform (sometimes flore pleno), in umbellate cymes; petals 20-25 mm, yellow. Capsule short, rarely formed. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Cultivated ground and other open habitats.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Waysides, Wasteland, damp places, valleys, field tracks, stony walls, garigue and several other habitats.
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Distributional range |
Extensively naturalized in the Mediterranean region and W. Europe.
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Native region outside Europe |
(South Africa.)
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Introduced in the Balaeric Islands, Britain (excl. Northern Ireland and Channel islands), Corse, Crete, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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[nAE AE(G) nAg nAl nAz(F G J L M P S T) Bl(I M N) nBr nCa Ca(C F G H L P T) nCo nCr aCs nCy nEg nGa(C F) Gg(A) nGr nHs Hs(G S) nIJ Ir nIt Jo nLi nLS nLu nMa nMd Md(M P) nSa nSi(M S) nSn nTn nTu(A)]
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| Links & Further literature
(1 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
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Updates in the Flora of the Maltese Islands (Central Mediterranean) |
Stephen Mifsud (2007) |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
