Botany can be a challenging affair in early spring, before many of our familiar plants start flowering. Can anyone tell me what species this distinctively shaped leaf is from? By the time the answer is revealed next week, they will probably be in flower!
As predicted, this plant is indeed in flower now and can be seen around the woodland where, with it's bright yellow flowers, is easily recognisable. It is indeed lesser celandine, or Ranunculus ficaria to give it it's scientific name. As the name Ranunculus suggests, it is a member of the buttercup family and is common and widespread throughout the UK. Habitat wise, it is fairly ubiquitous and can be seen in woodlands, parks, hedgerows, river and stream banks and gardens, with a preference for damp soils of pH 4-8, (but mostly around pH 6).
It is a low growing, spreading plant reaching around 10cm in height, with the leaves first appearing in mid-late February and the flowers following on in March. It is easily identifiable by it's glossy heart shaped leaves and bright yellow flowers, which are up to 15mm in diameter, have 8-12 petals and are borne on long stalks separate from the leaves.
Lesser celandine is a perennial and grows from root tubers, which store the plant's energy overwinter and then produce new leaves and flowers the following spring. It may also reproduce by tubercles that are formed in the leaf axis. They are small projections that also store energy and drop off the plant in early summer and can grow into new plants. Viable seed is very rarely produced.