How to care for purple shamrock (Oxalis triangularis)

Oxalis triangularis · False shamrock, Love plant, Purple wood sorrel

Purple shamrock (Oxalis triangularis) — a clump-forming perennial from South America that grows from small scaly rhizomes, with shamrock-like leaves of three triangular leaflets, deep purple in the popular form, that fold up at night. Small white to pale pink flowers stand above the leaves; plants are 15–30 cm tall in flower. Purple shamrock needs partial shade. Water it about every 7 days while it grows and about every 30 days in the winter rest.

Checked against sources: November 5, 2026

Watering and repotting purple shamrock through the year

It lives indoors all year, so it has no sowing or planting dates: it grows from March to September and rests from October to February (the other way round in the southern hemisphere).

Repot it about every 12 months.

When to plant purple shamrock?

Plant or repot purple shamrock in spring, as it starts into growth; early to midsummer also works. It is a houseplant, so it has no outdoor planting date and no frost decides it: just avoid autumn and winter, when growth slows and fresh compost stays wet too long. After that, move it to a slightly larger pot about every year, or sooner once roots circle the pot or grow through the drainage holes.

Watering in the growing and resting halves of the year: Watering and repotting purple shamrock through the year.

Sources: RHS: How to repot a plant · Penn State Extension: Repotting houseplants

Quick facts

Type	Houseplant
Latin name	Oxalis triangularis
Family	Oxalidaceae
Also called	False shamrock, Love plant, Purple wood sorrel
Light	Partial shade
Frost	does not tolerate frost
Repotting	every 12 months
Grown in	At home

Where does purple shamrock grow?

3,678 records of the plant in gardens, fields and the wild worldwide; most photos come from Brazil, United States, Argentina, Japan, and Paraguay.

World map: where purple shamrock has been recorded — Darker green means more records. Photos are real observations from those countries — tap one to see it. Map and records: GBIF.org (2026-10-28), © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap. Photo: franciscoestanislau, Aidan, leonardoalexissosa, grass_0, Jiao Sun (孙娇), Lars Schindler, Ellky Arteta Paredes, Agnete Sporild Olsen (CC BY / CC0).

Purple shamrock, Brazil — Darker green means more records. Photos are real observations from those countries — tap one to see it. Map and records: GBIF.org (2026-10-28), © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap. Photo: franciscoestanislau, Aidan, leonardoalexissosa, grass_0, Jiao Sun (孙娇), Lars Schindler, Ellky Arteta Paredes, Agnete Sporild Olsen (CC BY / CC0).

Purple shamrock care by growth stage

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 7 days	—	balanced (NPK), 14 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 44 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 74 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 104 days into the stage; balanced (NPK), 134 days into the stage
Winter rest	every 30 days	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Bright light, from a bright window to partial shade; give it cool conditions, especially in flower.

Soil

A well-drained loamy or soilless potting mix; set the rhizomes just under the surface.

Care

Keep the compost barely moist, not wet; it tolerates slight drying between waterings. It likes it cool, no more than about 24 °C by day and clearly cooler at night. Feed monthly only while it is actively growing. After a few months of growth, often in summer or in autumn, or sooner if it gets too hot or too dry, the leaves start to die back; this is a rest, not death. Stop watering, let the leaves dry, remove them and keep the pot in a cool, dark place; purple-leaved plants need only about a month of rest. Then bring it back to the bright window, repot into fresh mix if needed and start watering again; new leaves soon follow. Divide the many small rhizomes while it is dormant to make new plants. Aphids or whiteflies occasionally appear, and rust can affect the leaves. All Oxalis contain soluble calcium oxalates and are toxic to cats and dogs, causing drooling and tremors and, rarely, kidney failure.

Pests and diseases of Purple shamrock

2 problems are recorded for purple shamrock; each has a page with symptoms, treatment and prevention.

Diseases

Rust

Pests

Whitefly

Plant lists it is in

Part of: Houseplants · Flowering houseplants · Houseplants to repot every year

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.