Lesser celandine

Ficaria verna, (formerly Ranunculus ficaria L.) commonly known as lesser celandine, is a low-growing, hairless perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae native to Europe and west Asia. It has fleshy dark green, heart-shaped leaves and distinctive flowers with bright yellow, glossy petals. It is now introduced in North America, where it is known by the common name fig buttercupand considered an invasive species.The plant is poisonous if ingested raw and potentially fatal to grazing animals and livestock such as horses, cattle, and sheep. For these reasons, several US states have banned the plant or listed it as a Noxious weed.It prefers bare, damp ground and is considered by horticulturalists in the United Kingdom as a persistent garden weed.^[ Emerging in late winter with flowers appearing March through May, it's appearance across the landscape is regarded by many as a harbinger ofspring.

Description

Lesser celandine is a hairless perennial, with spirally-arranged cordate dark-green leaves without stipules. It produces actinomorphic(radially symmetrical) flowers with 3 sepaloid tepals and 7-12 glossy yellow petaloid tepals. Double flowered varieties also occur. The stamens and carpels are numerous, and the fruit is a single-seeded achene with a very short style. In several sub-species, tubers are formed in the leaf axils after flowering.