Thursday, January 21, 2010

False Purple Shamrock



False Purple Shamrock
Oxalis triangularis 'Atropurpurea'
(oks-AL-iss)
Synonyms: Oxalis regnellii, O. papilionaceae

Click Here for a Larger Photo
This delicate little flower’s color is a nice contrast to the dark purple leaves. It is rated hardy to USDA Zone 6 (-20.5 °C, -5 °F) but I don’t think I have ever seen it growing outside here in Connecticut. It does well in containers and can brighten up the house. We have had it growing several years and I have found that it likes warm temperatures and moisture. When it starts to look ratty cutting it back seems to work well.

If you grow it outdoors, in warmer climates, it has been known to become invasive. To me it would make a nice groundcover in a semi-shady area and might be useful to cover the bottom of more leggy perennials and old bulb foliage.

For fans of the movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and films like North by Northwest, Sleepless in Seattle, and others here is a shot of the famous Plaza Hotel in NYC. I was just testing the Sigma 28-200mm lens and it did a good job considering the lighting conditions.


Bigger Picture of the Plaza

4 comments:

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

I really like the purple oxalis though have none in my garden...my shade gets flooded with brackish water.
Good photo of the hotel, like the lines.

Kala said...

What a sweet name for a flower - I've not seen these before, very lovely.

Les said...

I like the contrast of the rigidness of the hotel's architecture and the seemingly more random crosswalk patterns.

Digital Flower Pictures said...

Janet, brackish water must be hard to deal with but is better than being dry I guess.

Thanks Kala. They are a cute little flower.

Les, it was kind of a quick shot because of the amount of people walking around. The sigma lens did well for being relatively cheap.