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Home/Species/ Metcalfe's Wood-sorrel

Oxalis metcalfei

(Small) R. Knuth

Metcalfe's Wood-sorrel

G4Apparently Secure Found in 13 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1320427
Element CodePDOXA011F0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderGeraniales
FamilyOxalidaceae
GenusOxalis
Synonyms
Ionoxalis metcalfeiSmall
Concept Reference
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2016. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 12. Magnoliophyta: Vitaceae to Garryaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 603 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
FNA (vol. 12, 2016) recognizes Oxalis metcalfei and states that O. alpina is a species of south-central Mexico. In contrast, Kartesz (1994) included O. metcalfei in O. alpina.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-07-23
Change Date2024-07-23
Edition Date2024-07-23
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
Oxalis metcalfei is a wide-ranging perennial herb occurring in southwestern North America in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas in the United States and Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora, and Zacatecas in Mexico. Little is known about threats or trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Oxalis metcalfei occurs in southwestern North America in southern Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas in the United States and Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora, and Zacatecas in Mexico (FNA 2016). Range extent was estimated to be over 900,000 square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are over 150 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024). Due to different treatments of this entity, herbarium records and photo-based observations may underrepresent true abundance.
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Oxalis metcalfei grows in "stream banks, wet meadows, canyon bottoms, talus, rocky banks, crevices, juniper-chaparral, Cercocarpus, pine, yellow pine-Douglas fir-oak, Douglas fir-aspen, pine-white fir-Douglas fir, spruce-fir, or spruce woodlands" (FNA 2016).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - ConiferShrubland/chaparralGrassland/herbaceousBare rock/talus/scree
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
ArizonaS3Yes
TexasS1Yes
New MexicoSNRYes
ColoradoS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (13)
Arizona (2)
AreaForestAcres
Cdo WsaCoronado National Forest1,955
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
New Mexico (11)
AreaForestAcres
Aspen MountainGila National Forest23,784
Canada Bonito RNASanta Fe National Forest487
Contiguous To Black & Aldo Leopold WildernessGila National Forest111,883
Contiguous To Gila Wilderness & Primitive AreaGila National Forest79,049
Devils CreekGila National Forest89,916
Guaje CanyonSanta Fe National Forest6,104
Meadow CreekGila National Forest34,167
PecosCarson National Forest13,436
Ryan HillCibola National Forest34,201
Sawyers PeakGila National Forest59,743
West Face Sacramento MountainsLincoln National Forest41,176
References (5)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2016. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 12. Magnoliophyta: Vitaceae to Garryaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 603 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).