Lesser celandine belongs to the buttercup family. The bright yellow flowers appear briefly in early spring.
The plant has a long history as a wild edible with its large fleshy roots and green shoots that appear as one of the first signs of spring.
Scientific name
Ranunculus ficaria (= Ficaria verna)
Family
Ranunculaceae.
Botanical description
The stem and leaves are brightly coloured green, younger leaves are heart-shaped and become ivy-like in appearance with darker markings. The shiny flowers are composed of seven to twelve golden-yellow petals with a green underside. The fruit appears like grains of corn, being globular and whitish.
Photo ideintification
Status
Perennial. Native to Europe, western Asia and North Africa.
Habitat and distribution
Distributed across Europe, western Asia and North Africa, found in fields, hillsides, riverbanks and woodlands.
Entomology
Parts used for food
Young leaves are picked before the plant flowers. Roots.
Harvest time
Food uses
The plant’s roots swell up to form bulbs or tubers, which are reputedly delicious and can be eaten as a starchy vegetable. Lesser celandine has been used as a potherb in central Europe, and the cooked young parts of the plant have been added to salads.
Nutritional profile
Lesser celandine may contain antioxidants that make it worthy as a springtime tonic, although further research into its biological activities is needed.
Recipes
- Lesser celandine and ground ivy stew
- Lesser celandine and lamb heart stew
- Lesser celandine stroganoff
- Spicy lesser celandine straws
Herbal medicine uses
Lesser celandine was a traditional remedy for piles; its common name of figwort alludes to ‘fig’ as an old name for piles. An ointment of the roots was also said to cure corns and worts.
Other uses
An unusual use for the petals and leaves recorded in Cumbria, England, was for cleaning teeth.
Safety note
Do not eat lesser celandine raw. All parts of this plant need to be cooked.
Protoanemonin, which is the toxic compound in the plant is destroyed by cooking and drying.
As a member of the buttercup family, lesser celandine may cause contact dermatitis in humans and animals.
The plant sap may also cause nausea and vomiting if taken internally; the plant’s safety during pregnancy or when breastfeeding is not established and therefore best avoided.
Links
- Edible and medicinal wild plants of Britain and Ireland
- Forage in spring
- Forage in summer
- Forage in autumn
- Travels with plants
References
Allen, D. E. & Hatfield, G. (2004) Medicinal plants in folk tradition: an ethnobotany of Britain & Ireland. Portland: Timber Press.
Barla, G. F. et al. (2016) Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content in Allium ursinum and Ranunculus Ficaria. Food and Environment Safety Journal. 13 (4).
Grieve, M. M. (1998) A modern herbal. London: Tiger Books International.
Hatfield, G. (2008) Hatfield’s herbal: the secret history of British plants. London: Penguin.
Karalliedde, L. et al. (2008) Traditional herbal medicines: a guide to their safer use. London: Hammersmith.
Klooss, S. et al. (2016) Charred root tubers of lesser celandine ( Ficaria verna HUDS.) in plant macro remain assemblages from Northern, Central and Western Europe. Quaternary International. [Online] 40425–42.
Komarova, B. institut im. V. L. (1963) Flora of the U.S.S.R. Jerusalem: Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation by the Israel Program for Scientific Translations.
Turner, N. J. et al. (2011) Edible and tended wild plants, traditional ecological knowledge and agroecology. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences. [Online] 30 (1–2), 198–225.
Wyse Jackson, P. (2013) Ireland’s generous nature: the past and present uses of wild plants in Ireland. St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press.