Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Ranunculales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Ficaria verna ssp. chrysocephala
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
Go to FSUS key
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
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Ficaria verna ssp. chrysocephala
INCLUDED WITHIN Flora of North America
Ranunculus ficaria
INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Ranunculus ficaria var. bulbifera
SYNONYMOUS WITH Ranunculus ficaria sensu lato (Sell, 1994)
Ranunculus ficaria ssp. chrysocephalus
COMMON NAME:
Fig Buttercup, Lesser Celandine, Pilewort
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_rafi_001_lvd
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Sturm, Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen wik_r_ficaria_sturm59
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ranunculus_ficaria_Sturm59.jpg
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Ficaria verna ssp. chrysocephala
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ranunculus ficaria
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Ficaria verna ssp. chrysocephala
INCLUDED WITHIN
Flora of North America
Ranunculus ficaria
INCLUDED WITHIN
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Ranunculus ficaria var. bulbifera
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Ranunculus ficaria sensu lato (Sell, 1994)
Ranunculus ficaria ssp. chrysocephalus
3672
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: eastern Mediterranean Europe
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
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
Radially symmetrical
3-5 sepals
Typically 8 petals (ranging from six to twenty-six)
Numerous stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual
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 (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007) p243
- New Invaders of the Northeast and Northcentral US (Rawlins et al., 2018) p087
- New Invaders of the Southeast (Rawlins et al., 2018) p087
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p276
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".