Sour grass is going out of season, so go try some before it’s all dried up! Photo courtesy of junior Karl Karsh.
Students and staff at San Luis Obispo High School may be familiar with a common yellow flower growing all around campus and the entirety of SLO. This plant is the Oxalis Stricta, which has many other names as well: the common yellow woodsorrel, common yellow oxalis, lemon clover, sour grass, pickle plant, and sheep weed.
The Oxalis Stricta is native to North America. It is commonly found in fields, along roadsides, and in other waste areas, and will often grow in the cracks of sidewalks. It is also commonly found under large pine trees or redwoods. The plant has three heart-shaped leaflets and a five-petaled yellow flower.
“Sour grass is pretty. I like seeing it around SLO,” said junior Sage Meeks.
Plants in the Oxalis genus are similar to clover, but they’re an entirely different family. Oxalis Stricta appears like a type of clover, but it doesn’t have any of the nitrogen fixing capabilities.
Oxalis Stricta has been used for various types of food and medicine over the years. The genus, Oxalis, translates to “sour,” hence the nickname sour grass. The leaves, stem, and flower of this plant have a tangy lemon-like taste, and can be eaten on their own or made into many different dishes.
“Sour grass is great. It tastes like eating a lemon or lime, and it’s hydrating,” said Meeks.
The Oxalis Stricta has some benefits to it as well as the unique taste. The plant is full of vitamin C, and for medicinal use, sour grass can cool skin, ease a stomach ache, treat mouth sores, and help with nausea.
“It’s cool that sour grass has health benefits. There’s more of a reason to eat it other than it just tasting good,” said Meeks.
The plant contains potassium oxalate and oxalic acid, which can be harmful to people with arthritis or kidney problems, but any dangerous effects are rare with minor consumption.
Give sour grass a try, Tigers!
Sources: foragesf.com, gardeningknowhow.com, education.mdc.mo.gov
