Lesser Celandine

Timely turfgrass information is here from our OSU Turf Team!

A new OSU Turfgrass Team Times is online and ready for your viewing pleasure! The latest video was recorded on Friday, April 26.

The Turfgrass Team has posted the second edition of their Turfgrass Team Times for 2024. Contributors include: Dr. Ed Nangle; Dr. David Gardner; Pamela Sherratt; Dr. Tyler Carr; Dr. Shaohui Wu; and Todd Hicks.

Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna (previously Ranunculus ficaria)) belongs to the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, and is sometimes called "fig buttercup." The “buttercup” describes the bright yellow flowers, and the “fig” refers to the shape of the underground tubers.

Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna (previously Ranunculus ficaria)) is a "spring ephemeral" meaning it spends most of the year hidden from view as underground tubers. The weed’s hide-and-seek life cycle makes detecting and evaluating the extent of spread a time-sensitive endeavor.

Lesser Celandine is known as a "spring ephemeral" owing to the time of year when short-lived plants and flowers are present. The majority of this weed's hide-and-seek life cycle is spent hidden from view as underground tubers. Bright yellow buttercup flowers are now revealing infestations in southern Ohio.

Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna (previously Ranunculus ficaria)) is now very evident in southern Ohio. Plants are in full bloom, or nearly so, meaning effective control options are becoming limited.

Lesser Celandine is now very evident in southern Ohio. Blooms have not yet appeared; however, this conspicuous life-cycle stage is just around the corner. Be on the lookout for this highly-invasive non-native weed and take steps to eradicate it from Ohio forests and landscapes.

Lesser Celandine plants are starting to rise in southern Ohio. This non-native is known as a "spring ephemeral" owing to the time of year when the short-lived plants and flowers are present. The majority of this weed's hide-and-seek life-cycle is spent hidden from view as underground tubers.

I frequently describe weeds as "sneaky" when their life-cycle presents a serious challenge to their identification and management. However, nothing matches the sneakiness of the hide-and-seek life-cycle of Lesser Celandine.