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Photo: Michal Osmenda from Brussels, Belgium · CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗
Ficaria verna
Lesser Celandine
Glossy yellow stars and heart-shaped leaves bring early spring colour beneath damp hedges.
See all four seasons Explore fruits, seeds & edibility ↓ Where to look & how to find it ↓Some plants are poisonous. Do not identify by a photograph alone, and never taste them.
FIELDCRAFT · FIND WITH CARE
Finding guide
Choose the season, find the habitat, then watch patiently. Search guidance is not a measure of rarity or conservation status.
- When to go
- Usually flowers February–May; above-ground growth often disappears in summer.
- Where to start
- Damp Irish banks in spring. Missing summer foliage does not mean the plant has died.
- What to do when you arrive
- In early spring, scan moist banks for bright yellow flowers and heart-shaped leaves, with flowers more open in mild sunshine. Summer is generally poor for finding its above-ground leaves and flowers.
Habitat and behaviour reference: Wildflowers of Ireland ↗ · The practical steps are editorial advice based on the references, not live sightings.
ONE PLANT · FOUR SEASONS
One plant. Four seasons.
Look beyond the flowers: fresh leaves, fruits, bare stems and dormancy.
Meteorological seasons: spring March–May, summer June–August, autumn September–November and winter December–February. Irish weather, cultivar, pruning and plant age affect timing and appearance.
Photos illustrate the relevant feature, not the same plant photographed through a year in Ireland. Features shared across seasons, such as evergreen leaves, may use the same reference. Missing reliable photos are marked; dormancy is not death.
Spring
Mar–May
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Feature reference photo ↗
Flowers
Heart-shaped leaves and glossy yellow flowers spread out, flowers opening wider in sunlight.
Summer
Jun–AugUnderground or seed dormancy
Leaves decline in late spring or early summer and usually disappear above ground.
Autumn
Sep–NovUnderground or seed dormancy
Mostly dormant underground in storage structures, not in autumn bloom.
Winter
Dec–Feb
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Feature reference photo ↗
Foliage and growth
Mild late-winter weather can bring new leaves, followed by the earliest yellow flowers.
Seasonal references: Wildflowers of Ireland ↗ · Photo resized, converted to JPEG and stripped of metadata.
FRUIT · SEED · FOOD SAFETY
Fruits, seeds & edibility
Know the structure, then the part. Recognising a plant does not make it food.
Fruit
Photo unavailable
A young post-flowering fruit cluster of lesser celandine.
T. Kebert · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ License termsHeads of achenes may form after flowering; some forms set few fruits and spread mainly vegetatively.
- Food use of this part
- Do not eat
Seeds & dispersal units
Refer to the description below until a suitable photo is verified; flowers or other species are not substituted.
Seeds lie within achenes; axillary bulbils and underground tubers are not seeds.
- Food use of this part
- Do not eat
Some seed references show intact one-seeded fruits or dispersal units, as identified in their captions. A whole-fruit photo is not a close-up of the enclosed seed. Cones and arils are not true fruits of flowering plants.
Sources & limitations
- Wildflowers of Ireland ↗ · Botanical description, not proof of food safety
- NC State Extension · Plant Toolbox ↗
No field detoxification methods or safe doses are provided. Never taste a plant to identify it or eat treated or contaminated specimens. Seek professional help after suspected accidental ingestion. National Poisons Information Centre, Ireland ↗
Photo resized, converted to JPEG and stripped of metadata.
How to identify it
Fleshy heart-shaped leaves and yellow flowers with more petal-like segments than a typical five-petalled buttercup. It belongs to the buttercup family, not the greater celandine's family.
Where it grows
Moist woodland, riverbanks, hedges and waysides.
Growth and ecology
A spring-growing perennial that often rests below ground in tubers through summer. Do not eat it.
Flowering and seasons
Usually flowers February–May; above-ground growth often disappears in summer.
Where to look
Damp Irish banks in spring. Missing summer foliage does not mean the plant has died.
Seasons vary with weather and location. Suggested habitats are places to look, not guaranteed sightings. Photos show only some features; check leaves, flowers, fruits and specialist references together.
Further reading:Wildflowers of Ireland ↗
Photo license: Michal Osmenda from Brussels, Belgium · CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗ · License terms ↗
Photo resized, converted to JPEG and stripped of metadata.