Lesser Celandine

Ficaria verna

• Bright yellow star-shaped flowers, with thin pointy petals.
• Lesser Celandine is part of the buttercup family, and its bright flowers come into bloom from January and stay till April.
• It’s a great flower to see so early in the year, as it’s one of the first splashes of colours, that always brings a smile to my face. As well as looking bright against what can be a cold grey January day, their early source of pollen is important to Queen Bumble Bees and other early pollinators.
• It’s not too fussy where it grows, preferring damp woodland edges, it can also be found growing in gardens, meadows and shaded hedgerows.
• The leaves of the lesser celandine contain protoanemonin, as do all members of the buttercup family. Historically it was used to treat haemorrhoids (piles), and is still known by some as pilewort today.