Lesser celandine, Fig buttercup
(Ficaria verna)
Biological Category
Plants
NY Legal Status
Prohibited
Species Type
Other Herbaceous
DESCRIPTION
A member of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae).
Lesser celandine displays the bright yellow spring-blooming flowers common to many genera in the family.
Note: Research for these pages was generated from citations listed. References for specific statements available upon request.
Flower: Flower has 8 – 12 yellow petals which are narrow and shiny and has green sepals underneath the petals. Blooms March – April.
Stem: Small bulblets form along the stem where the leaf joins. The root also has small potato-like tubers
Growth Form: An herbaceous perennial plant with dark green, kidney shaped leaves with wavy edges that emerges in February and disappears by June.
Likely introduced via the horticultural trade. Lesser celandine is now documented in 24 states.
Lesser celandine colonizes a multitude of different environments from riparian corridors, forested floodplains, wet meadows, herbaceous wetlands to lawns, old fields, and roadsides. The species grows best in moist soils.
Although Lesser celandine can reproduce both sexually and asexually, most of its seeds are abortive. The species spreads primarily via abundant underground tubers and bulblets which are spread by water and digging animals. Each tuber or bulblet, once separated from its parent plant has the potential to grow into a new plant. Vectors include water, birds, mammals and horticultural trade.
Lesser celandine is a perennial herbaceous plant native to Europe. Spreading rapidly via underground tubers and bulblets, this early emerging spring plant forms dense vegetative mats, outcompeting spring ephemerals and other native plants, drastically altering community composition and reducing biodiversity.
No biological control option is currently available.
Pulling / Digging Up: Hand pulling or digging small infestations is possible but care must be taken to remove all roots, tubers and bulblets.
Mowing: Not applicable
Girdling: Not applicable
Prescribed Fire: No information available
Prescribed Grazing: Not applicable
Soil Tilling: Tilling is not a recommended method of control as Lesser celandine often colonizes fragile, wet soils vulnerable to erosion and easily re-sprouts from scattered or fragmented bulblets and tubers.
Mulching: Not advised
Solarization: Not applicable
Hot Foam Spray: No information available
The pesticide application rates and usage herein are recommendations based on research and interviews with land managers. When considering the use of pesticides, it is your responsibility to fully understand the laws, regulations and best practices required to apply pesticides in a responsible manner. At times, the pest you seek to treat may not be on a pesticide label, requiring a 2ee exemption from NYSDEC. Always thoroughly read the label of any pesticide and consult the NYSDEC or a licensed pesticide applicator with questions.
Foliar Spray: Apply a 1-2% solution of wetland-safe glyphosate product in late winter to early spring. Some experts recommend spraying prior to ephemeral leaf-out and amphibian emergence to minimize non-target species impacts, however, follow up treatment will likely be necessary in 2-3 weeks, or during next year’s management season.
Cut Stump: Not applicable
Basal Bark: Not applicable
Hack-And-Squirt
Stem Injection: Not applicable
Pre-Emergent Spray: Not applicable
General management overview and recommendation: As with any other invasive infestation, large occurrences of lesser celandine are best managed via a combination of mechanical and chemical means. Small seedlings or outlying plants can be hand pulled but care must be taken to remove all bulblets and roots. Dense patches must be sprayed to attain good control. All managed infestations should be monitored to prevent reinvasion from nearby populations. Any new seedlings or occurrences can be hand pulled or sprayed.
Post-treatment monitoring: Controlled populations should be revisited at least 2-3 times a season for at least 2-3 years to ensure exhaustion of the seed bank and that no re-sprouting has occurred.
All material must be bagged and disposed of in a landfill.
){kind=link}