In Focus : Lesser Celandine

Ficaria verna
Plant
Ficaria verna, commonly known as lesser celandine, is a low-growing, hairless perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae native to Europe and west Asia.

Scientific name: Ranunculus ficaria
Higher classification: Buttercup
Rank: Species
Genus: Buttercup

It is the time of the year when the Celandine shows itself above the ground, It has such a brief flowering period and appears from almost nowhere, many people seem to consider the Celandine as a weed and deal with it as a weed. This is a shame as although brief it will completely disappear when they have finished flowering. So to go to all the trouble of removing it seems to be a real shame as the flowers bring a welcome colour to the garden early in the season. The Celandine will grow almost anywhere and once the flowering has finished it will completely disappear and leave no evidence of its existence, even the foliage will go before the spring has finished.

As you can see above and below the Celandine will grow anywhere, although it prefers damp conditions and is the first flower of the season, with the distinctive leaves it is easy to spot. The roots are tuber like and can be dug up and moved once the foliage has finished. 

Fabulous lesser celandine facts
Also known as pilewort, as it was used to treat haemorrhoids

The Celts called it Grian (sun) as its petals close up before rain

Its leaves are high in vitamin C and were used to prevent scurvy

The poet Wordsworth was so fond of lesser celandine flowers that he had them carved on his tomb

Found throughout Europe and West Asia, it is now introduced into North America

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, celandine comes from the Latin chelidonia, meaning swallow - it was said that the flowers bloomed when the swallows returned

A patch of lesser Celandines which have over the last week or so just appeared as if out of nowhere, the first flowers beginning to show themselves. Even the RHS calls it a weed which is a shame as I love to see the yellow flowers on a bleak day. Although I can understand those that love their lawns could be quite unhappy about it being in the lawn. Due to the roots being tubers it will be quite hard to eradicate. The reason for this is as you dig the plant out the tubers can be broken and this helps spread the plant rather than remove it. The tubers are quite shallow, so the only solution really is to remove all other plants from the area, remove the soil down to a depth that you are satisfied with that all the tubers have been removed. Once this is done the soil can be replaced and the plants, replanted and hopefully all the tubers have been removed.