Oxalis pes-caprae?

Here is a link that might be useful: Buttercup oxalis

Wow! Thank you so much! You totally nailed it. And thank you for posting that photo. We were so confused about the little spots on the leaves, thinking it was some kind of fungus or disease, but it looks to be normal for this species. Seems like there's just a bizillion little bulbs all through the soil here. So, vigilant I shall be, and we'll probably shade and mulch the important areas. Thanks again for your help!

FWIW - when the Oxalis goes into dormancy all the little bulbils that either sit near the surface, or form as beads along a root become 'independent' and need very little encouragement to start life on their own account.

If you are weeding out a patch - go to it when the plant is in full growth. At that time it produces a 'glassy' sort of root and the new bulbils are soft, white and unformed. Very easy to remove with low hazard of reinfesting.

Smothering might work. They'll come up from inches below mulches, though.

And - once is never enough. Stay on it and don't let them flower. Mowing can certainly reduce their reproductive appetite, though not eradicate.

Good luck.

Thank you Vetivert8. That's exactly what I'm doing right now. The acre of land we're on was all dirt, except for the areas we had 'carved' out for gardening purposes (fruits, veggies, berries, flowers). When the rain hit - bam, there they all were. The entire property covered in it. We've been weeding like crazy, and will continue to do so. It'll be so much more worth it! :)

Tis edible.

you can always eat it, if you're really sur it's oxalis, although if it turns out to be some kind of clover, that's edible too.
it's got a nice lemony flavor and is a good addition to salads
I like to add a few sprigs when i'm flavoring pickles.

It tends to be thought of as a childrens food because it's hard to misidentify and safe for kids to eat as they're playing. Even the Native Americans thought of it this way.

Relived that this was the first post when I googled! Picture matches exactly what has appeared in 1 of my flower beds.Wasn't sure if it was a weed or type of flower!Had planted 50bulbs in this area a few years ago.There was something about the big clumps of them&the yellow flowers that had me questioning if they were clover.Thanks for all of the answers!!Time to get busy~

Kelly, there is also Oxalis stricta, a similar but slightly diff plant, with a diff structure of flower stalk, and exploding hexagon-shaped seed pods. The plant pictured above comes from/forms a bulb. O. stricta has a taproot.

that looks just like violet wood sorrel (Oxalis violacea) except yellow. i want one!

Tiffany, Thanks!I noticed while pulling them out that they didn't have bulbs,

had a stringy root.I will definitely goggle,like to know what I'm dealing with.

Most of the bulbous Oxalis aren't hardy in any but z9b+. Mostly native to S Africa. The ones you see everywhere else are just rhizomatous.

Most of my lawn is this stuff. Is anyone willingly using this instead of turfgrass or is that just a bad idea?

In the PNW you often encounter forested areas carpeted in our native Oxalis.

But people don't usually allow the weedy stuff to be their lawns.

The OP's plant is Oxalis pes-caprae aka Bermuda Buttercup, as identified right at the start of the thread. It is a world wide invasive problem in frost free regions and not something anyone should consider deliberately cultivating.

Kelly, if you only saw roots when pulling it is possible that the cormlets were being left behind in the soil. Don't drop your guard. It may be back to haunt you.

Matt, I would gladly have a lawn of bulb Oxalis vs. grass, but it's dormant too much of the year to function that way, disappearing during the coldest & hottest weather here. Beloved ground cover around/under shrubs when it's "up" though! If your summers are less hot, might be something to investigate, a test patch. The 2 I've encountered so far are definitely hardy here, O. crassipes & O. triangularis.