Oxalis Censation 'Double Pink Wonder'

Oxalis Censation 'Double Pink Wonder' is a graceful plant that offers small double white flowers edged with red, on a tender green clover-like foliage. This small bulbous plant, whose ancestors are native to the southern hemisphere, has a reversed vegetative cycle: it flowers during winter in our climates and goes dormant in summer. As it is not very hardy, it is preferable to cultivate it in a pot and bring it indoors as soon as temperatures approach 0°C (32°F). It will brighten up your interior during the coldest months!

Oxalis 'Double Pink Wonder' is a plant of the family Oxalidaceae. The genus Oxalis comprises about 500 species, most of which are perennial bulbous plants native to South Africa and South America. This variety, 'Double Pink Wonder', slowly colonizes its culture medium through bulb propagation, without being invasive like other Oxalis. The foliage, 10cm (4in) tall, is unique. It is composed of finely lobed leaves, in a tender green colour, gathered in a palmate shape. When sunlight decreases, the palmate leaves fold in on themselves. The flowering normally takes place from October to March, with a peak from December to February. The funnel-shaped flowers, gathered in umbellate clusters, are composed of petals arranged in a helix, slightly overlapping. The white petals, sometimes washed with pale red on the periphery, are highlighted by a fine cherry red border. The corollas, like the foliage, open in the sun and close in shade and at night. The plant is deciduous in summer.

This Oxalis Censation 'Double Pink Wonder', both unique and delightful, can only be cultivated in open ground in our mildest regions. However, its cultivation in pots in a culture medium kept moist during flowering poses no problem. Its winter flowering brings a touch of color and a breath of spring into the house, at a time of year when blooms are rare.