Oxalis tetraphylla is a bulbous plant from Mexico. A common name is "Iron Cross", after a famous cultivar; it is also known as "lucky clover", and in a wild or feral state as four-leaf sorrel or, least ambiguously, four-leaved pink-sorrel.
The plant has leaves divided into four and has been called "lucky leaf" and even "four-leaf clover", but it is not a true clover. Related to the common wood-sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), it is commonly used as an ornamental plant. It is also edible, the flowers and leaves having a sharp lemon flavor. However, since the oxalic acid in the plant can interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients in the body, especially calcium, too much can be harmful. If a lucky clover, Oxalis tetraphylla in New Year’s Eve fulfills its purpose as a little present or table decoration, the pretty plant should not be rashly used as compost. With the decorative, four-split leaves and pretty flowers, an oxalis tetraphylla acts as a distinctive summer blossom on the window sill and decorates the balcony.
