Name
It comes from the Greek oxis meaning acid. It refers to the sour-tasting sap of some species.

In the veld
Sorrel is not really poisonous but can lead to human and animal fatalities if excessive amounts are consumed. Outbreaks of oxalate poisoning have been reported, as a result of pastures infested with sorrel. Sheep are mostly affected, but cattle and horses too may suffer from degenerative conditions of the bones.

Did you know
The seeds are explosively ejected

Cooking

• Enjoy fresh leaves and roots as a snack
• Add fresh leaves to salads, soups and stews
• Grill or cook roots with milk, serve as vegetable
• Oxalis pes-caprae is an essential ingredient of waterblommetjie stew

Healing

• Oxalis is used as a vermifuge and is good for treating scurvy, burns and abscesses.
• Apply the leaves as a dressing

Gardening

• perennial - flowers in summer
• medium water - drought resistant - full sun - semi-shade - full shade
• dwarf plant - 75 mm high
• propagate by corms - seed
• any soil
• tolerates light frost
• use as seasonal ground cover

GAZANIA KREBSIANA

I wonder why Gazania are such popular bedding plants in British gardens. There is no doubt about their exquisiteness, but they only open fully when the light is bright enough. It must be the joy they bring during brief English summers that fills people's hearts for the rest of the year!

Name
In honour of Theodor of Gaza, translator of botanical works. gaza is also Greek for riches and could refer to the richness in colour and the abundance of the plant.
‘Treasure flower', one of its nicknames really comes as no surprise.

In the garden
It is so easy to fall in love with the gazania. They come in a great variety of joyful colours and their flowers brighten up any garden for many months. In fact, gazania are so easy to grow, that they love a pot as much as a bed. This flamboyant perennial is Namaqualand's trademark and one of the parent plants for the many Gazania hybrids found in nurseries.

Did you know
Each fruit in the flowerhead, and there are about 25 per head, is covered with silky hairs to enable easy dispersion by wind

Cooking
Gazania are edible : add to dish as a colourful finishing touch

Gardening

• perennial - flowers from spring till summer
• waterwise - drought resistant - full sun
• plant - 25 cm high
• propagate from seed - is self-seeder
• no soil preference, but must be well-drained
• tolerates wind and light frost
• good for rockeries - beds - pots - in masses as ground cover
• attracts beetles - butterflies - herbivores
• TIP : don't give too much water - a little compost will be appreciated