Ficaria Verna, better known as Lesser Celandine, is an invasive plant that has been found growing in floodplain forests in mid-Michigan, but has also recently been spotted in some areas of the Grand River watershed.
Lesser Celandine is a non-native, low-growing perennial plant in the buttercup family. It’s usually found along streams and in forested floodplains and is characterized by its heart-shaped leaves and glossy yellow flowers. Its three methods of reproduction are seeds, underground stems, or tubers, and bulbils, or tiny bulblike structures where the leaf meets the stem. These three methods allow the plant to spread rapidly, crowding out native plants.
According to the DNR, Lesser Celandine was first brought to Michigan as a spring interest species for gardens.
The designation of the plant as an invasive species recognizes the threat the plant poses to native habitats and encourages the public to report sightings of Lesser Celandine online to the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network.
You can learn more about the invasive plant at: www.michigan.gov/Invasives
