The Garden Menace

Ahh Spring time. The birds are chirping, the weather is warming and plants are blooming - wait why is the forest yellow? My nemesis. That tuber producing, wet soil loving, son of an invasive! The spring ephemeral nobody asked for - Ficaria verna aka lesser celandine. While the little yellow flowers appear charming and innocent, this member of the buttercup family has a real dark side with it's aggressive nature and mat forming tendencies.  

The dense mat of Ficaria verna no longer flowering

Photo from Ohio State Extension. A forest floor of lesser celandine 

Native to Europe and Western Asia, lesser celandine was brought over to the United States in the late 1800's as an ornamental plant. The same old invasive plant origin story - we found a pretty plant abroad that we must have and now we are in trouble. I'm looking at you too Bradford Pear! As with the spring ephemerals we love, lesser celandine will emerge in early spring to take advantage of the sun shining through to the forest floor, then disappear completely by the end of May. Don't be fooled - they are still present underground, getting stronger and plotting for next seasons take over. And oh boy,  do they have various methods for takeover! 

Sweet little buttercup? We wish!

The ephemeral nature for one thing makes this a tricky invasive. I imagine them doing an evil villain laugh as the foliage dies back in May. The disappearance gives us a false sense that order is returning. "I'm not really gone, suckers!" they mock from below. What else does this plant have up it's sleeve? Tubers, bulbils and seed - the reproductive arsenal that lesser celandine utilizes to survive and take over forest floors and gardens. These propagation methods allow lesser celandine to easily spread, survive and form dense mats especially in areas that are wet, disturbed or flooding regularly. Those inconspicuous tubers love a nice flood, easier  for them to spread and create more plants! 

 This poses many problems to our beloved native ephemerals and our own garden beds. Though there are some tough natives peeking through the foliage of the lesser celandine,  you can imagine they could really thrive in abundance if they were not bullied by a domineering weed.

The many tubers one plant produces

Photo by Sue-Ellen de Beer. Jack -in- the- pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) in a sea of lesser celandine 

In your own garden the best way to remove small infestations is to dig it out - every single part of it. My favorite tool is the hori hori garden knife which gets down deep enough and allows me to get the entire plant and all those tubers out, but any sharp shovel will do. Be sure not to shake out the clump as this will loosen the soil and allow those little tubers to fall. Have a bag with you and dispose of the plant into the bag right away. Once you're done removing the lesser celandine, seal your bag and dispose of it in the trash. 

Systemic herbicides like glyphosate are another option if you are okay with the use of chemicals and if digging would be inefficient. If using chemicals in your own garden, be mindful of plants in the vicinity and try to spray early in the season prior to the lesser celandine being in full flower. The process of trying to eradicate this weed can take years and a whole lot of persistence but it is possible to eventually get it under control. 

By now i'm sure many already know of this garden menace but it doesn't hurt to keep spreading the word. This aggressive weed is masquerading as a cute little buttercup but we won't be fooled!  Keep getting the word out there especially to all the non-gardening folks. Happy gardening and digging up those invasives! 

-Julie 

Resources: 

Penn State

Ohio State