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Bulbous perennial of the Oxalidaceae family, native to the Falkland Islands and the southern regions of Patagonia, where it grows in peatlands, screes, and short wind-swept grasslands, at low altitude but in a cold and humid climate.
It forms small spreading mats of 5 to 10 cm, from a rhizomatous and scaly base. The leaves, borne on short petioles, are composed of nine deeply cut leaflets, pale glaucous gray-green, pleated and folded during the day in overcast weather. This finely cut and silvery-toned foliage is one of the most recognizable traits of the species.
The flowers, solitary, are remarkably large compared to the size of the plant — up to 3 cm in diameter — with five broad petals, lilac pink to white depending on the forms, with a bright green-yellow center radiating in veins towards the edges of the petals. Forms with white or dark pink flowers exist in cultivation.
In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from November to January. In cultivation under our latitudes, it blooms from May to June.
It is cultivated in rock gardens or elevated pots, in an acidic, humus-rich and well-drained substrate, in light partial shade. Unlike O. adenophylla, it tolerates some summer humidity. Its hardiness is adequate in regions with mild winters.