Ficaria verna Huds.
(Lesser Celandine)

Subtaxon Example images Rank Featured
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Subspecies 4 images
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Subspecies 22 images
Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesFicaria verna (Lesser Celandine)
GenusFicaria (lesser celandine)
FamilyRANUNCULACEAE (buttercups, crowfoots)
OrderRANUNCULALES (buttercups, poppies and barberries)
SubclassEU-DICOTS (dicotyledonous flowering plants)
ClassMAGNOLIOPSIDA (flowering plants)
PhylumTRACHEOPHYTA (vascular plants)
KingdomPLANTAE (plants)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Ficaria verna (Lesser Celandine) :
1: Ficaria verna (Lesser Celandine)
30 Mar 2016 OSGR: ST90 50° 50’ N, 2° 10’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
in flower at foot of church wall . Photos: pollen
Image 1: Plant with flowersImage 2: Plant with flowers (2)Image 3: Pollen - magnified - white backgroundImage 4: Pollen - magnified - white background (2)Image 5: Pollen - magnified - white background (3)Image 6: Pollen - magnified - white background (4)Image 7: Pollen - magnified - white background (5)Image 8: Pollen - highly magnified - white backgroundImage 9: Pollen - highly magnified - white background (2)Image 10: Pollen - outline focus - magnified - white backgroundImage 11: Pollen - surface focus - magnified - white backgroundImage 12: Pollen - surface focus - magnified - white background (2)Image 13: Pollen - surface focus - magnified - white background (3)
2: Ficaria verna (Lesser Celandine)
23 Apr 2006 OSGR: SY59 50° 50’ N, 2° 40’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
in flower . Photos: Flowering plant
Image 1: Flowering plant - side viewImage 2: Flowering plant - top view
3: Ficaria verna (Lesser Celandine)
6 May 2000 OSGR: SU77 51° 30’ N, 0° 50’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Image 1: Flower - close-upImage 2: Plant with flowers
4: Ficaria verna (Lesser Celandine)
11 Mar 2000 OSGR: SY39 50° 40’ N, 2° 60’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
Image 1: Flower - close-upImage 2: Flower - close-up (2)Image 3: Flower - close-up (3)Image 4: Flower - close-up (4)Image 5: In situ
5: Ficaria verna (Lesser Celandine)
6 Apr 1969 OSGR: TQ21 50° 60’ N, 0° 10’ W Vice County: East Sussex (VC 14) England
Image 1: Flowering plant

Ficaria verna (Lesser Celandine) may be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Ficaria verna (Lesser Celandine)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 19 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Ficaria verna (Lesser Celandine)

Familiar early spring woodland flowers. The stored energy in its tubers enables it to get flowering over before the canopy closes.

A species complex comprising Ficaria verna s.s. with a chromosome number of 2n=16 (diploid) and several tetraploids with 2n=32. Triploids (2n=24) also occur and are presumed to be hybrids between Ficaria verna s.s. and one of the tetraploids.

There are also numerous (>20) garden varieties with larger and/or differently coloured petals, bronze foliage, flore pleno etc. Some of these may escape, introgress or be thrown out with garden rubbish.

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.

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