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Invasive plant

Lesser celandine

Ficaria verna

Lesser celandine identification: glossy leaves and eight to twelve yellow petals in early spring, usually gone underground by late May.

By WildScope Editorial Desk

Published Last reviewed

Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna)
Photo: Rl · CC BY-SA · source
Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna), photo 3
Photo: Dominik Matus · CC BY-SA · source

Lesser celandine is a spring ephemeral that carpets lawns, floodplains and woodland edges with glossy leaves and yellow flowers, then vanishes underground by late spring. The plant you see is the easy part. The tubers and bulblets left behind decide whether you will still have it next year, so the first decision is not “pull or spray” but “is this a patch I can finish, or a job that needs a plan?”

USDA’s National Invasive Species Information Center lists its current U.S. distribution as the northeastern United States and the Pacific Northwest. Penn State Extension describes it as most prevalent in floodplains and riparian areas, and it also invades forest floors and lawns.

The season decides the method

Lesser celandine does not stay visible long. Penn State Extension says leaves and flowers are usually gone by late May in Pennsylvania, and University of Maryland Extension says the plant goes dormant when the forest canopy closes. That gives you a short working window, and the window changes what is honest advice.

  • Late February to March: New plants come up as one or two tiny, glossy leaves, sometimes only a quarter inch wide. They are easy to miss in leaf litter, so walk the site slowly.
  • March to April: Flowers open. Look for 8 to 12 narrow yellow petals with a darker center. This is the easiest time to confirm the plant.
  • Late March to early May: Leaves are fully green and can still absorb a systemic herbicide. This is the treatment window Penn State Extension gives for Pennsylvania.
  • Late May: Foliage is gone. Herbicide has no leaf surface to land on, and digging means screening soil for tubers you cannot see.

University of Maryland Extension gives an earlier window in the mid-Atlantic, about mid-February to early April, and says to start when about half the plants in a patch are in bloom. The two extension windows are not a contradiction. They reflect different latitudes and spring weather. Treat when the leaves are fully expanded and still green, and ask your local extension office which week that usually means in your area. Do not mow first: Penn State Extension says mowing can spread the plant and can reduce how much herbicide the leaves absorb.

Digging only works if you can finish the job

A single tuber left behind can restart the patch. So can a small bulblet. Penn State Extension says hand removal is not recommended for most infestations because it is very difficult to get every tuber and usually requires removing excessive soil. University of Maryland Extension is equally direct: once the plant is established, removing it by digging can take many years.

If you have a small patch in a flower bed and you can sift the soil, dig it. Bag every leaf, stem, tuber and bulblet and put the bag in the trash or send it for burning. Do not add it to compost, and do not shake soil off the roots onto the ground. Clean your boots and tools before you leave.

The look-alike that changes the answer

Marsh marigold is a native plant that grows in very wet ground, and it can sit in the same kind of place as lesser celandine. The leaves are the first check: marsh marigold leaves are finely toothed, especially near the base, while lesser celandine leaves are smooth or only gently lobed. The flowers are the second check: marsh marigold usually has 5 to 9 wider, rounded petals; lesser celandine has 8 to 12 narrow ones. Marsh marigold normally grows as individual plants rather than a solid carpet.

If the plant is growing in a dry lawn or an upland slope, it is not marsh marigold. If it is growing in a wetland or along a stream bank, slow down and check before you treat. Our lesser celandine vs marsh marigold comparison walks through the petal count and leaf edge side by side.

Is it dangerous to touch?

Neither Penn State Extension nor University of Maryland Extension lists a skin-irritant warning for lesser celandine, unlike poison hemlock or giant hogweed. The handling risk here is spread, not a burn: bulblets cling to gloves, boots and tools. Wear gloves if you are sensitive, and wash your hands after working in it.

What to do this week

  1. Confirm the plant is lesser celandine, not marsh marigold, before you do anything.
  2. If the patch is small and you can remove every tuber, dig it and bag all plant parts.
  3. If the patch is large, treat the green leaves in early spring with a product labeled for the site, and follow the label exactly.
  4. Near water or in a wetland, use only an aquatic-labeled product and do not spray the water itself.
  5. Plan to return next spring. One pass will not exhaust the tuber and bulblet bank.

For the full method, timing and disposal sequence, read how to get rid of lesser celandine and the best time to treat invasive plants. More plant profiles are listed under invasive plants, and image credits for this page are on the image credits page.

Identification

Look for the combination of characters below. A single feature is rarely enough, especially when a native look-alike is present.

Size and habit
A low-growing plant with leaves up to 4 inches high and flower stalks up to 9 inches long. It forms a dense, continuous carpet rather than standing alone.
Leaves
Glossy and kidney-shaped, with mostly smooth edges and gentle lobes. The leaves have no hairs, and spidery veins angle from the center toward the outer edge.
Flowers
Bright yellow and somewhat star-shaped, usually with 8 to 12 narrow petals and a darker yellow ring in the center. They open in early spring.
Underground parts
Fleshy tubers sit in the soil, and small bulblets form where the leaves join the stem. Both can start new plants if they are moved with soil or equipment.
Season
A true spring ephemeral. Leaves and flowers are usually gone by late May in Pennsylvania, while the tubers and bulblets remain alive underground until the next spring.

Look-alikes

  • Marsh marigold

    Caltha palustris

    Marsh marigold leaves are finely toothed, especially near the base, while lesser celandine leaves are smooth or only gently lobed. Marsh marigold usually has 5 to 9 wider, rounded petals and usually grows as individual plants in very wet ground.

  • Wild violet

    Viola species

    Wild violet leaves are toothed around the entire edge and have deeper veins that curve toward the tip. Violet flowers have five asymmetrical petals, and most are purple, blue or white rather than yellow.

Range and status

Native range: Europe, Asia and northern Africa

Regulatory status by state

  • pennsylvania Noxious weed

    Lesser celandine is a Class B noxious weed on the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture list. Noxious weeds cannot be sold, transported, planted or otherwise propagated in the state. Class B means the plant is widely established and cannot feasibly be eradicated.

    Regulatory source

  • new-york Prohibited

    Lesser celandine is prohibited under 6 NYCRR Part 575. Prohibited plants cannot be sold, imported, purchased, transported, introduced or propagated in New York.

    Regulatory source

  • virginia Noxious weed

    Lesser celandine is a Tier 3 noxious weed in Virginia under 2VAC5-317-20. Moving a listed noxious weed requires a valid certificate or permit.

    Regulatory source

  • ohio Prohibited

    Lesser celandine is on Ohio's invasive plant list under OAC 901:5-30-01, which bans selling, propagating, distributing, importing or intentionally spreading it.

    Regulatory source

  • wisconsin Prohibited

    Wisconsin classifies lesser celandine as Prohibited under NR 40. Prohibited species cannot be transported, possessed, transferred or introduced without a permit, and control is required.

    Regulatory source

Why it matters

Lesser celandine emerges earlier than most native spring plants and forms a dense carpet that shades them out. It goes dormant by late spring, but its tubers and bulblets stay in the soil and move easily with runoff, fill dirt and landscaping equipment. A small patch can become a new infestation without anyone planting it.

Management

Decide whether digging is realistic

Timing: Late winter to early spring, while the plants are visible.

Digging can work only for a very small patch where you can remove every tuber and bulblet. Penn State Extension does not recommend it for most infestations because it is very hard to get all the underground parts and usually means removing a lot of soil. If you do dig, seal all plant parts in a bag for the trash or for burning.

Treat while the leaves are green

Timing: Early spring, before native plants emerge.

A systemic herbicide moves from the leaves down to the tubers. Penn State Extension names glyphosate as the most effective active ingredient and says to treat from late March through early May in Pennsylvania. University of Maryland Extension gives a mid-February to early April window in the mid-Atlantic and suggests waiting until about half the plants are in bloom. Follow the product label; the label is the law.

Use a lawn-labeled option in turf

Penn State Extension says a triclopyr-ester product can reduce lesser celandine without killing turfgrass. It also lists 2,4-D, dicamba, MCPA, triclopyr and metsulfuron-methyl as ingredients studied for lawn use, and says combinations of at least two of the first four can provide some control. Glyphosate generally gives the best control. Follow the product label; the label is the law.

Expect several years of follow-up

Penn State Extension says control must be repeated once a year for at least a few years, probably longer for large patches. Even after the plant looks gone, keep checking the site and the ground around it for new plants.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against the sources below. Each link shows the date the source was accessed.

  1. Lesser Celandine — Penn State Extension Accessed November 3, 2026
  2. Lesser Celandine — University of Maryland Extension Accessed November 3, 2026
  3. Fig Buttercup — USDA National Invasive Species Information Center Accessed November 3, 2026
  4. Ficaria verna Huds. (lesser celandine) — USDA NRCS PLANTS Database Accessed November 3, 2026
  5. Controlled Plant & Noxious Weed Lists — Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Accessed November 3, 2026

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