Oxalis convexula

Oxalis convexula is a short-stemmed, geophytic herb that grows from a fairly deeply positioned ovoid brown bulb that tapers at both ends. The plant reaches heights of up to 15 cm.

The trifoliolate leaves comprise three almost circular leaflets with just a hint of a shallow notch at the tip of especially the middle leaflet. The leaves are slightly succulent.

Flowers grow solitary on fleshy stalks. Flower colour is salmon pink to cerise, yellow inside the corolla tube. The petals form a funnel-shaped tube, spreading widely at the mouth in five broad lobes with angular to rounded tips. Fine, slightly darker lines radiate from the centre along the petal surfaces. The sepals are short, less than half the corolla tube length.

Flowering happens in winter and spring; this one was photographed at the end of autumn near Beaufort-West. The plant grows in parts of the Karoo and Little Karoo (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; iSpot).