Species Oxalis thunbergiana
Pictures from Observations
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From the Greek oxys = sharp, sour or acid and (h)als = salt. The plant is frequently consumed for its sour taste caused by the oxalic acid, particularly the flowering stalks of O. pes-caprae. In large quantities the oxalic acid inhibits digestion and in stock leads to the condition 'dikpens' or bloated belly.
For Carl Pehr (Peter) Thunberg (1743–1828), Swedish botanist, physician, student of Linnaeus, professor of botany and medicine at Uppsala University (1784–1828) who visited the Cape from 1772–1775 to study the Cape’s flora.
Thunberg did extensive botanical exploration in the southern Cape where no botanical collecting had been done, amassing some 3 100 species. In 1775 he went to Japan, Java and Sri Lanka for 15 months. Thunberg published Flora Japonica (1784), his travel diaries (1788–1796), and Flora Capensis (in parts between 1807–1820). He presented his herbarium of 23 510 specimens and 25 000 insects to Uppsala University. He was made a knight of the Royal Order and received many honours.