Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Ranunculales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
Ficaria verna ssp. calthifolia
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
It is now illegal to possess these plants in South Carolina. Read more.
Watch the video, Citizen Science & the invasive Fig Buttercup.
Read more about the insidiously invasive Fig Buttercup.
More from the Plant Conservation Alliance.
More from Wildland Weeds: Under the radar? Ficaria verna quietly naturalizing in the Southeast.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ranunculus ficaria var. bulbifera
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Ranunculus ficaria sensu lato (Sell, 1994)
Ranunculus ficaria ssp. calthifolius
INCLUDED WITHIN
Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Ranunculus ficaria
COMMON NAME:
Fig Buttercup, Lesser Celandine, Pilewort
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Sturm, Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen wik_r_ficaria_sturm59
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ranunculus_ficaria_Sturm59.jpg
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JK Marlow jkm140305_005
March Mecklenburg County NC
Renaissance Park
Leaves crowded at base with few on short stems; petioles to 10cm long, per Weakley's Flora.
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JK Marlow jkm140305_913
March Mecklenburg County NC
Renaissance Park
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JK Marlow jkm140305_952
March Mecklenburg County NC
Renaissance Park
Leaves crowded at base, few on stems, up to 4cm x 4cm, per Ranunculus ficaria L. sensu lato (Sell 1994).
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JK Marlow jkm140305_980b
March Mecklenburg County NC
Renaissance Park
Flowers up to 30mm in diameter; petals 10-15mm x 2.5-6mm, contiguous, per Ranunculus ficaria L. sensu lato (Sell 1994).
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JK Marlow jkm140305_980c
March Mecklenburg County NC
Renaissance Park
Sepals spreading, saccate [pouch-like] at extreme base, glabrous, per Flora of North America.
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JK Marlow jkm140305_982b
March Mecklenburg County NC
Renaissance Park
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JK Marlow jkm140305_986
March Mecklenburg County NC
Renaissance Park
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JK Marlow jkm140305_996
March Mecklenburg County NC
Renaissance Park
)
JK Marlow jkm140305_997
March Mecklenburg County NC
Renaissance Park
)
JK Marlow jkm140307_039
March Mecklenburg County NC
Renaissance Park
Abundant fingerlike tubers easily visible when plants are pulled up, per Plant Conservation Alliance.
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JK Marlow jkm140307_044
March Mecklenburg County NC
Renaissance Park
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JK Marlow jkm140307_055
March Mecklenburg County NC
Renaissance Park
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
Ficaria verna ssp. calthifolia
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ranunculus ficaria var. bulbifera
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Ranunculus ficaria sensu lato (Sell, 1994)
Ranunculus ficaria ssp. calthifolius
INCLUDED WITHIN
Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Ranunculus ficaria
3671
Forb
Perennial
Non-native: east central & southeast Europe
Documented growing wild in - - -
Rare
Look for it in disturbed rich forests and bottomlands, mesic suburban forests, lawns, per Weakley's Flora
Click here to see a more detailed map from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium,
or click here to see a map from SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Forest Health Assessment & Applied Sciences Team: New Invaders of the Northeast
- Forest Health Assessment & Applied Sciences Team: New Invaders of the Southeast
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2015
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2013
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 1994
- Pennsylvania Dept. of Conservation & Natural Resources
- Plant Conservation Alliance
- SC Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2014
- SC List of Regulated Pest Plant Species, 2017
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2014
- Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board
- Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal rosette & alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
Yellow
Bisexual
Radially symmetrical
3-5 sepals
Typically 8 petals (ranging from six to twenty-six)
Numerous stamens
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Aggregate of achenes
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control p243
- New Invaders of the Northeast and Northcentral US p087
- New Invaders of the Southeast p087
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast p276