This annual or perennial herbaceous plant is probably native to North American but introduced to many other parts of the world. It has delicate clover-like leaves with three heart-shaped leaflets.  The leaves are yellow-green and almost transparent.  The leaves close at night and open during the day to carry out photosynthesis.  It is an erect plant growing up to fifteen inches high.  Where it grows in mowed lawns, it can be much shorter.

The ½-inch yellow flower has five petals, five sepals and 5 stamens. Sometimes there is a hint of red at the base of the flower. This species is distinguished from other similar species by the seed capsules that form a sharp angle from their bent stalks. These capsules explode when touched, throwing seeds up to thirteen feet away. Mature plants can also spread by forming underground rhizomes.

The yellow wood sorrel is a widespread weed throughout the United States and Canada, growing in lawns, gardens, greenhouses, roadsides and waste ground, even growing in cracks in sidewalks and driveways.  All parts of the plant are edible but have a sour taste due to the presence of oxalic acid. They can be eaten raw as a breath-freshener or as a thirst-quencher. The leaves can be used to make a drink similar to lemonade. It should not, however, be consumed in large amounts because it may affect calcium uptake by the body. The juices have been used as a substitute for vinegar and an orange dye can be extracted from the plant.  Do not consume this plant in areas that may have been sprayed with herbicide or insecticide.