post a picture so that we know what you are referring to.

Where in the world are you?

An on line search comes up with several members of the Oxalis (sorrel) family that might be this but none by that name. Proven Winners even sells a plant that could be this that is hardy to Zone 8, but is also listed as an annual. A picture might help.

Sorry I was so vague with my question.It is woodsorrel, a weed, grows close to the ground, the red one. There is also a lime green one with yellow blossoms. this one is red with gold flowers. I found it by simply typing in red oxyalis. There are pictures also. Where in the world am I? In Ks , its right by my name.

It is the purple/red form of Oxalis corniculata (O. corniculata var. atropurpurea). It is a common weed and just as likely to appear in its green form as well as the purple. The same control methods apply to this as to any weedy oxalis - remove before flowers appear or seeds set. Various herbicides will address it as well.

What various herbicides do you recommend?I have been spraying dicamba all year(the one recommended) and all it does is kill the top. In a short while they are right back. Now they say use a systemic so it will kill the roots. I am getting weary of spraying. has to be done daily, and the tiniest plant will bloom.

Try Ortho Weed-B-Gon Chickweed, Clover and Oxalis Killer. It contains triclopyr as the active ingredient and allegedly kills down through the roots.

Would it not be much easier, healthier, faster and cheaper just to pull it?

No, it would not, the roots travel underground, and it also has a nut. Recommended to me to use is,Weed Beater Ultra, by Bonide. I had to order it, so soon I will have to start the spraying all over.

Are we sure we are talking about the same plant?? There is no "nut" and it doesn't spread underground. Red oxalis has a tap root and it does root at stem joints but on the soil surface, not underneath.

And it can be removed by hand pulling - I do it all the time. Time consuming if you have a large infestation but still quite manageable. I should also note that it produces a LOT of seed so there is likely a very well established seed bank present that will result in regrowth as the season and the weather permit.

It doesn't seem so, I couldn't begin to pull this as much of it is in my bermuda grass. What is in my flower beds has roots I can follow underground, and there are many. I patrol every day to be sure I don;t let any bloom. This stuff is worse than bindweed, I can at least kill it.

The little more information provided helps some. That you have Bermuda grass suggest a warm season grass area of the world but something more, like Florida, Texas, Missouri, would be of more help.

Weed Beater Ultra lacks the most common herbicide, 2,4,D, although it does contain the other, Dicamba. A picture, as suggested by Jean, would also help.

Please add a pic of the plant in question.

kimmq-after my name it says KS Tiffany, I would love to add a pic, don't know how. I am computer illiterate, and don't have anyone here to help. The very worst thing about this weed is when a seed lands in the middle of another plant, it's almost impossible to get it out. If I wasn't so old I'd move. Also does anyone know anything about red root grass?

I have exactly the same problem as flowergirl does in my Maryland garden. The red oxalis arrived with an infested load of mulch, and it promptly escaped into both the fescue and the zoysia parts of my lawn. Digging out every inch of the roots only works in flower beds. The Ortho Oxalis product mentioned above works pretty well on the yellow oxalis variety but, at least for me, has not been nearly as effective on the red oxalis unless I paint it directly on the leaves. This summer 'm trying the Weed Beater Ultra too. I really dislike using chemicals on a lawn with pets and children, and I am not trying to achieve a perfect, weedfree lawn. This is the worst weed problem I've ever had to deal with.

Well,, thank goodness someone got a pic on here, I think people thought I was nuts. Just spent a lot of time this morning digging out small ones. I wish you all could have seen what was already traveling under ground on a inch high plant. I also have SOB, In case nobody knows what that is, it's that lovely little bulb Stars of Bethlehem. Another thing that's impossible to get rid of.

It looks like O. corniculata.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis_corniculata

http://cnas-re.uog.edu/guam-weeds/oxalis-corniculata/

Just had a call Weed Beater Ultra is in. Now the fun begins. Our temps for the rest of the week are 100 every day. On Sun they may go down to 99. I'll be up even earlier than 6 and out until 10. Have to be in the middle of the day, I'm just too old to take that kind of heat. Thanx for the link, cevi

Yes, a variety of the species is just that, a variety of the species. In the case of var. atropurpurea, they are individuals of the species with purplish/reddish leaves.

The person who added the pic is not the only one with an Oxalis issue, so starting an investigation at the species level should ensure that one finds all of the possibilities within that species.