Weed Alert: Lesser Celandine

Image:  Nancy Gregory, University of Delaware, Bugwood.org

Also known as fig buttercup, lesser celandine (Ficaria verna) is native to Europe and parts of northern Africa and Asia. It was introduced to the United States in the late 1860s as an ornamental plant. Lesser celandine grows so densely and rapidly that it forms continuous mats of thick foliage. These mats smother native ephemerals and prevent seeds of wildflowers, grasses, and trees from germinating. Lesser celandine is locally common in the Potomac River and James River watersheds, and is spreading rapidly throughout Virginia. It is capable of taking over bottomland forests and lawns near suburban areas.

Image:  Lesser celandine leaves, Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org