BioImages: The Virtual Field-Guide (UK)
Ranunculus ficaria L. (lesser celandine)
| Notes (MWS) | Familiar early spring woodland flowers. The stored energy in its tubers enables it to get flowering over before the canopy closes. |
| Characters to note in the field | To distinguish the subspecies, look for: bulbils in the axils whether abundant or very little seed is formed petal length empty pollen grains (microscope) no of chloroplasts per stomatal guard cell (microscope) The bulbils are about the size and colour of a grain of wheat. Unfortunately these only become obvious after flowering. However, peeling back the petiole on the lowest leaves will reveal small pale bulbils even while still in flower. If there is no sign of bulbils in the lowest axils by the time the first petals have dropped, the plant can safely be taken to be non-bulbiliferous. |
Records (and photo sets)
| Taxon | Summary | Date | Vice-county | Country |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranunculus ficaria | Flowering plant | 23 April 2006 | Dorset | England | 2 |
| Ranunculus ficaria | Plant | 6 May 2000 | Berks | England | 2 |
| Ranunculus ficaria | Plant | 11 March 2000 | Dorset | England | 5 |
| Ranunculus ficaria | In flower | 6 April 1969 | East Sussex | England | 1 |
Subtaxa
| Rank | Taxon | |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subspecies | Ranunculus ficaria ssp. bulbilifer Lambinon (a lesser celandine) | 11 | 6 | 2 |
| Subspecies | Ranunculus ficaria ssp. ficaria (a lesser celandine) | 2 |
Suggested Literature
Ranunculus ficaria may be covered by literature listed under:
Feeding and other inter-species relationships
Associated with Ranunculus ficaria:
Ranunculus ficaria may be associated with more taxa listed at higher taxonomic level
|
MAGNOLIOPSIDA (flowering plants) |
MAGNOLIIDAE (dicotyledonous flowering plants) |
RANUNCULACEAE (buttercups, crowfoots) |
Ranunculus (buttercups and crowfoots) |
References
| Ellis, M.B. & J.P., 1997 | Microfungi on Land Plants: An Identification Handbook |
