The Unique Plant Life

Oxalis triangularis Melbourne

Purple Shamrock or Purple Oxalis is a tropical bulb that makes an interesting indoor plant in Melbourne. The colour of the foliage is a striking dark purple with a contrasting pink centre in the leaf. The shape of the leaves has given them another name as a butterfly plant. The contrast of colours in the leaves can vary depending on the intensity of the light. Too much light and the colours blend together.
The flower is not the feature, but makes a lovely addition in the summer.
In winter it does not die down completely, but thins its leaves out until Spring where it takes off again.

Famous for quite obvious reasons, the magnificent Oxalis Triangularis has taken the World by storm for it’s showy purple butterfly like leaves and cute, delicate white flowers. But drop-dead gorgeous aesthetics isn’t the Oxalis Triangularis’ only claim to fame. 

there are varieties of Oxalis (a big & diverse plant family) that are nuisance weeds in many Australian gardens giving the whole family a bad name. There are over 800 known varieties of Oxalis and only a small handful have become problem weeds. Oxalis Triangularis is not a known weed and from its characteristics would seem a very low risk as it is less robusts, less aggressive and less invasive than the infamous weed varieties. In Australia, it is mostly enjoyed as an Indoor Plant, but it can be grown outdoors in shaded locations.