Lesser Celandine: Wildflower or Weed?

Lesser celandine splits gardeners down the middle. To some it is a cheerful native wildflower, the first glossy yellow of the year on a damp bank. To others it is a weed that creeps across the lawn and won’t leave. Both are right. This guide helps you identify it, understand how it spreads and decide whether to let it be or clear it.

Is lesser celandine a wildflower or a weed?

Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna) is both. It is a native buttercup relative that grows wild in woods, hedge bottoms and stream banks. In those spots it is a welcome sign of spring.

The trouble starts in cultivated ground. In a lawn it forms glossy patches that mowing doesn’t touch. In a border it carpets bare soil around young plants in early spring. In damp, shady soil it can spread across quite a large area over a few years.

The key thing to know is that it is short-lived above ground. By early summer the whole plant dies back and disappears until the following year. For much of the year you won’t see it at all, and that changes how much it really matters.

How to identify lesser celandine

Look for glossy, bright yellow, star-shaped flowers with 8 to 12 narrow petals. They shine as if varnished and close in dull weather. The leaves are heart-shaped, dark green and glossy, often with paler or bronze markings. The plant forms a low mat.

Two plants get mixed up with it:

The quickest test is to snap a stem. Orange sap means greater celandine. Then count the petals: eight or more narrow shiny ones means lesser celandine.

Count the petals. Lesser celandine has 8 to 12 narrow, glossy ones; creeping buttercup has just five.

Why lesser celandine vanishes in summer

Lesser celandine is a spring ephemeral. It packs its whole above-ground life into a few months. Leaves appear in late winter, flowers follow into spring, and the foliage yellows and collapses by early summer.

While the leaves are green, the plant stores food in its root tubers. When the top dies back, many people think it has gone for good. It hasn’t. It is resting, and it will come back from those tubers next year.

Gardener’s tip: Push a cane in beside problem patches while you can see them in spring. Once they vanish, it is easy to forget where they were by autumn mulching time.

Yellowing leaves in late spring mean it is going to ground for the year, not dying.

How lesser celandine spreads

Each plant sits on a cluster of small, club-shaped tubers, and every tuber can grow a new plant. That is why rotavating and hoeing make it worse. Chopping the soil scatters tubers everywhere, and one patch becomes many.

Each of these little tubers can grow a new plant, which is why chopping them up with a rotavator spreads celandine.

Some forms also make tiny bulbils where the leaves join the stem. These drop off and root. Pulling at the plants can shower bulbils into the soil, which is why a quick tug often leaves a thicker patch behind.

Lesser celandine and bees

Before you dig, think about what it gives back. Lesser celandine is one of the earliest flowers in the garden year. Queen bumblebees waking up in late winter need food fast, and these open flowers are easy for them to reach. Solitary bees and hoverflies use them too.

That is why plenty of gardeners leave it in wilder corners. The guide to early spring pollinator plants has more ideas for feeding bees at that time of year.

Early bees make good use of celandine flowers when there is very little else in bloom.

How to get rid of lesser celandine

Pick the method that suits the size of the patch:

Digging: Do it in early spring, while the plant is in leaf and you can see it. Lift the clump with a fork and plenty of soil. Sieve or pick through the soil to catch every tuber. Expect to repeat for a few springs.

Smothering: In autumn, cover the patch with overlapping cardboard and a thick layer of bark or compost on top. When the tubers try to grow in late winter, they find no light. The guide to cardboard and grass clippings mulch shows how to layer it. More chemical-free ideas are in the guide to preventing weeds without chemicals.

In lawns: It is harder to tackle in turf. Feed and look after the grass so it competes better, and dig out small patches. The lawn weeds guide covers the wider approach.

Lay cardboard in autumn and overlap the edges well, so no light reaches the tubers when they wake up.

Should you just leave it?

For many gardens, yes. Lesser celandine does little lasting harm in a border, because it has gone before most plants fill out. It covers bare soil in spring, then hands the space back.

It is happiest left alone in damp, shady, wilder spots: under hedges, along a north-facing fence or in a patch of longer grass. A relaxed lawn in spring, like the ones in the guide to No Mow May lawns, is another place it fits.

Control is worth the effort in a few places: a fine lawn, an alpine bed, or among small plants that get smothered early in the year.

Lesser celandine through the year

Celandines you plant on purpose

Not all lesser celandine is unwanted. Some named forms are grown for their looks. The best known is ‘Brazen Hussy’, with chocolate-bronze leaves and bright yellow flowers, selected by the gardener Christopher Lloyd. Double-flowered forms are also grown. Give them a spot where you are happy for them to spread a little.

‘Brazen Hussy’ is grown on purpose for its dark leaves, a reminder that the same plant can be a weed or a feature.

Is lesser celandine poisonous?

Yes, mildly. Like other buttercups, lesser celandine can irritate the mouth and stomach if eaten raw. Don’t add it to salads, and discourage pets from chewing it.

Common mistakes with lesser celandine

• Rotavating or hoeing it. This spreads the tubers across the bed.
• Pulling at the leaves. The tubers stay put and bulbils drop off.
• Giving up when it vanishes. It is only resting.
• Using thin or gappy mulch. Light gets through and the tubers carry on.
• Fighting it everywhere. In wild corners it is doing no harm and feeding bees.

More weed help is on the plant problems hub.

Now you know how to handle lesser celandine, read the guide to common garden weeds to identify the other spring arrivals in your beds.

Frequently asked questions

Is lesser celandine a weed?

It depends where it grows. It is a native wildflower that is lovely in wild corners but a nuisance in lawns and small borders. Because it dies back by early summer, many gardeners simply let it be.

How do I get rid of lesser celandine?

Dig out small patches carefully, or smother bigger ones with cardboard and mulch. Lay overlapping cardboard topped with a thick layer of bark in autumn and leave it for a season or two. Never rotavate, as chopping the tubers spreads them.

Why does my lesser celandine disappear in summer?

It dies back underground after flowering, which is normal. The plant stores food in small root tubers and rests through summer and autumn. It isn’t dead and will reappear the following late winter.

Is lesser celandine the same as greater celandine?

No, they are quite different plants. Greater celandine belongs to the poppy family, has four petals and bleeds orange sap. Lesser celandine is a buttercup relative with clear sap and 8 to 12 glossy petals.

Is lesser celandine poisonous?

Yes, it is mildly poisonous if eaten raw. Like other buttercups it can irritate the mouth and stomach. Don’t eat it, and discourage pets from chewing it.

Does lesser celandine help bees?

Yes, it is a useful early food source. Its open flowers feed queen bumblebees and other insects in late winter and early spring, when little else is out. That is a good reason to leave it in wilder spots.

Will weedkiller kill lesser celandine?

Weedkiller can help but often needs more than one go. Use a product labelled for it, while the plant is in full leaf in spring, and follow the label. Smothering or careful digging is often just as good.