lesser celandine, fig buttercup
(Ficaria verna)
This species is Introduced in the United States
Nomenclature and other names
There has been much confusion over the nomenclature and common names of this species. The scientific name is sometimes listed as Ranuculus ficaria. Common names include lesser celandine, fig buttercup, and pilewort.
Appearance
Ficaria verna is a short (up to 12 in. [30.5 cm]), herbaceous perennial that invades forests throughout the East, Midwest and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States.
Foliage
The basal leaves are dark green, shiny, kidney- to heart-shaped and vary greatly in size.
Flowers
Flowering occurs in March and April, when showy, bright yellow, eight-petaled flowers develop on stalks above the leaves. Flowers are up to 3 in. (7.6 cm) wide.
Fruit
The fruit are achenes that are pubescent. It also reproduces with bulblets and tubers.
Ecological Threat
Ficaria verna invades moist, forested floodplains. It is a spring ephemeral and grows vigorously, creating dense mats that exclude all other vegetation. It is a threat particularly to the native forest spring ephemerals that have to compete for light and space with this invasive. The plant is native to Europe and was first introduced into the United States as an ornamental. It is currently sold and widely planted as an ornamental.
Resources
- Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Selected Images
Maps
EDDMapS Distribution - This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts, herbaria, and literature. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org
State Lists - This map identifies those states that have this species on their invasive species list or law.
Invasive Listing Sources
- City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 1994.
- Connecticut Invasive Plant List
- Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
- Delaware Invasive Species Council
- Delaware Invasive Species Council Invasive Species List
- Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns, Eds. 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.
- Illinois Exotic Weed Act
- Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
- Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia
- Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Severe Threat
- Maine Invasive Plants
- Maryland Code and Regulations of Invasive Plants
- Maryland Cooperative Extension Service. 2003. Invasive Plant Control in Maryland. Home and Garden Information Center, Home and Garden Mimeo HG88. 4 pp.
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources Policy: Restriction on Planting Exotic Invasive Plants
- Maryland Invasive Species Council - Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland
- Massachusetts Invasive Plants Advisory Group List
- Massachusetts Noxious Weeds
- Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List
- Michigan’s Invasive Species Watch List
- Mid-Atlantic Field Guide to Aquatic Invasive Species
- Minnesota Noxious Weeds
- National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
- Native Plant Society of Oregon, 2008
- New Hampshire Invasive Plant Species Watch List
- New Invaders of the Northeast and Northcentral
- New Invaders of the Southeast
- New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team 2017 Invasive Species List
- New York Regulated and Prohibited Invasive Species - Prohibited
- Non-Native Invasive Plants of Arlington County, Virginia
- Non-Native Invasive Plants of the City of Alexandria, Virginia
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- Ohio Invasive Species Council
- Oregon Noxious Weeds
- Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Invasive Plants
- Pennsylvania Noxious Weeds
- Pennsylvania's Field Guide to Aquatic Invasive Species
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas
- Rhode Island Natural History Survey
- South Carolina Invasive Pest Council
- South Carolina Plant Pest List
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council
- Virginia Invasive Plant Species List
- Washington Noxious Weeds
- WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
- West Virginia Invasive Species Strategic Plan and Volunteer Guidelines 2014
- West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999
- Wisconsin Noxious Weeds
- Wisconsin's Invasive species rule – NR 40
Taxonomic Rank
| Domain: Eukarya |
| Kingdom: Plantae |
| Phylum: Magnoliophyta |
| Class: Magnoliopsida |
| Superorder: Ranunculanae |
| Order: Ranunculales |
| Family: Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: Ficaria |
| Ficaria verna |
Synonyms and Other Names
Other Common Names:
lesser celandine, pilewort
Related Scientific Names:
Ranunculus ficaria L. (Synonym)
Ranunculus ficaria var. bulbifera Marsden-Jones (Synonym)