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Wood-sorrel family
Oxalidaceae
ใซใฟใใ็ง
A family primarily composed of the genus Oxalis. Approximately 900 species are known, distributed from the tropics to temperate regions, with the center of diversity in South America.
Key Characteristics
- โLeaves mostly trifoliate (three heart-shaped leaflets)
- โNyctinastic movements (leaves and flowers close at night or in overcast weather)
- โ5-petaled flowers
- โLeaves contain oxalic acid, giving a sour taste
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values โ multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Compound
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Compound type
Ternate / Pinnate / Palmate
Stipules
Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
Many
Petal fusion
Free / Fused
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
5
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Oxalidales > Oxalidaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ใปExplosive diversification in South America