| fig buttercup |
USDA PLANTS Symbol: RAFI USDA ARS GRIN: 30823 ITIS: 18603 NAPIS: PEHAGBS |
| Ranunculus ficaria L. | |
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Taxonomic Rank: Magnoliopsida: Ranunculales: Ranunculaceae |
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| Synonym(s): lesser celandine | |
Fig buttercup is a short (up to 12 in. [30.5 cm]), herbaceous perennial that invades forests throughout the East, Midwest and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States. The basal leaves are dark green, shiny, kidney- to heart-shaped and vary greatly in size. Flowering occurs in March and April, when showy, bright yellow, eight-petaled flowers develop on stalks above the leaves. Flowers are up to 3 in. (7.6 cm) wide. Fig buttercup invades moist, forested floodplains. It is a spring ephemeral and grows vigorously, creating dense mats that exclude all other vegetation. Fig buttercup is a threat particularly to the native forest spring ephemerals that have to compete for light and space with this invasive. The plant is native to Europe and was first introduced into the United States as an ornamental. It is currently sold and widely planted as an ornamental. |
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Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
- Invasive Plant Atlas of New England - University of Connecticut
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
- Fact Sheet - Pennsylvania Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources
| Selected Images from Invasive.org | View All Images at Invasive.org |
 Flower(s); close-up Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Fruit(s); Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Root(s); Bulbs Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Diagram or Graphic; Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 2: 117. USDA PLANTS Database, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
Taxonomic References:
- USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1, National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Invasive Listing Sources:
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 1994.
- Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
- Delaware Natural Resources and Environmental Control, 2004
- Faith Campbell, 1998. Plants that Hog the Garden: Invasive Plants in the United States. Fine Gardening Online
- Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns, Eds. 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.
- Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
- Maryland Cooperative Extension Service. 2003. Invasive Plant Control in Maryland. Home and Garden Information Center, Home and Garden Mimeo HG88. 4 pp.
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 1994
- Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2005
- Native Plant Society of Oregon, 2002
- New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry, 2004
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, Pennsylvania.
- Tatyana Livschultz, Pennsylvania survey of invasive plants,
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 1999.
- WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
- Connecticut Noxious Weeds
- Massachusetts Noxious Weeds
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