![]() The tubers of lesser celandine are prolific and may be unearthed and scattered by the digging activities of some animals, including well-meaning weed pullers, and transported during flood events. It spreads primarily by vegetative means through abundant tubers and bulblets, each of which is ready to become a new plant once separated from the parent plant. Spread: Lesser celandine spends much of the year (summer through early winter) underground as thickened, fingerlike tubers or underground stems. Marsh marigold flowers are on stalks at least 8” long, and the plant does not form solid monocultures or bulblets on the stems. ![]() This plant closely resembles marsh marigold ( Caltha palustris), a native wetland species. NOTE: Always triple-check your identification before consuming any wild plant. Leaves and tubers (see below) of the plant are edible when cooked raw leaves may be eaten in small quantities before the plant flowers, but are toxic once flowering has begun. There are many varieties of lesser celandine, including a double-flowered form with many crowded petals and dark green leaves mottled with silvery markings. Pale-colored bulblets are produced along the stems of the above-ground portions of the plant, but are not apparent until late in the flowering period. After flowering, all above-ground portions of the plant die back. The glossy, butter-yellow flowers open in March and April, and are borne singly on delicate stalks that rise above the leaves. If you garden has a wet area, one alternative to Lesser Celandine is Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris), which has a similar appearance and bloom time.Īnother alternative for upland areas is Wood Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), also known as Celandine Poppy, which is blooming in my garden at the same time as the Lesser Celandine in my neighbor’s garden.Introduced species: Lesser celandine ( Ficara verna, formerly Ranunculus ficaria)Ĭharacteristics: Lesser celandine, also known as fig buttercup, is an herbaceous, perennial plant, with a basal rosette of dark green, shiny, stalked leaves that are kidney- to heart-shaped these are starting to appear now in the Portland area. Because fig buttercup emerges well in advance of the native species, it has a developmental advantage which allows it to establish and overtake areas rapidly. These plants provide critical nectar and pollen for native pollinators, and fruits and seeds for other native insects and wildlife species. Some examples of native spring ephemerals include bloodroot, wild ginger, spring beauty, harbinger-of-spring, twinleaf, squirrel-corn, trout lily, trilliums, Virginia bluebells, and many, many others. Plant breeders have developed many colorful cultivars, which should be considered just as invasive as the species. Even though this plant is considered invasive in 17 states from Wisconsin to Rhode Island and south to Tennessee, it is still available for sale in those states. It’s a herculean task to stop the spread of this plant through larger natural areas.įig Buttercup was introduced to the US as an ornamental plant. This can be very laborious work in your garden, digging it up and sifting out the tubers. Ranunculus ficaria spreads by underground tubers which must be removed to control this plant You MUST remove all of those tubers to control this plant. However, notice the little tubers that form the root area of this plant. The good news is that Ranunculas ficaria can be easily pulled from damp ground. You can see that the only thing growing through the mat of Lesser Celandine is Star of Bethlehem (another invasive plant which we’ll talk about in a later post). In the photo below, you’d be surprised to know that this mat is blocking out even the English Ivy that forms a second mat below this plant. ![]() The leaves appear in late winter, forming a dense mat which prevents the growth of almost every other plant. Now, you may be thinking “Oooh, pretty buttercups.” But this plant has some nasty habits that are destroying native spring ephemeral wildflowers. One of these is Ranunculus ficaria (Lesser Celandine, Fig Buttercup). But, thanks to some of the worst of the most hated plants, some invasive plants prevent this from happening. Winter is over, now it’s time for the native spring ephemeral wildflowers, those that grow, flower, and reproduce before the woodland trees leaf out.
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