Ficaria verna Lesser Celandine

A common plant of broadleaved, deciduous woodland and hedgerows. It is one of the first woodland plants to flower, often appearing in late winter and sometimes dying back before or shortly after leaves appear on the trees. The attractive yellow buttercup-like flowers have 8 (sometimes more) petals, each of which produces nectar in a cup-shaped nectary at their base. The leaves are heart-shaped, often with a pattern of pale green patches on a dark green background. Leaves vary in size, plants growing in shaded locations have much larger leaves than those growing in open, sunlit locations. Some plants also produce small bulbils at the base of the leaf stalks. Lesser Celandine provides an important nectar source for insect pollinators (e.g.hoverflies) in early spring when few other woodland flowers are available. It is a widespread and common plant in West Glamorgan and a conspicuous member of the pre-vernal woodland flora. It often grows in lawns and can become a troublesome weed. It is alleged that Lesser Celandine was William Wordsworth's favourite flower.

Native