Photo: Gianni Del Bufalo bygdbCC BY 4.0via iNaturalistresized / cropped
Lesser Celandine Plant Care
Ranunculus ficaria L.
Updated · Sources · How we source care data
Ficaria verna, commonly known as lesser celandine or pilewort, is a low-growing, hairless perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It has fleshy dark green, heart-shaped leaves and distinctive flowers with bright yellow, glossy petals.
Full sun to partial shade
At a glance
How do you care for Lesser Celandine?
Lesser Celandine grows best in full sun to partial shade. It is reported as toxic to pets, so keep it out of reach of pets.
Where Is the Lesser Celandine Native To?
- Albania
- Armenia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Palestine
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- The Netherlands
- Türkiye
- UAE
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Yemen
What Is the Lesser Celandine?
Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) belongs to the Ranunculaceae family within the Ranunculus genus. Lesser Celandine is native to Europe and Western Asia. Lesser Celandine is also known as Pilewort, Fig Buttercup.
Lesser Celandine displays a low rosette, clumping growth habit, reaching up to tall with a spread of approximately . Lesser Celandine produces brightly colored, multi-petaled blooms in various shades.
What Light Does the Lesser Celandine Need?
Lesser Celandine thrives in full sun to partial shade.
Light Requirement
Full sun to partial shade
What Soil Mix Works Best for a Lesser Celandine?
Moist, well-draining soil with organic matter. Good drainage is essential for Lesser Celandine to prevent waterlogging, which leads to root rot and fungal issues.
How Do You Repot a Lesser Celandine?
Divide and repot every 2-3 years in early spring. Choose a pot one size larger than the current container, and ensure it has drainage holes to allow excess water to escape.
How Do You Propagate a Lesser Celandine?
Lesser Celandine can be propagated through division, seeds. Similar propagation techniques also apply to persian buttercup plant care, which shares the same genus.
Is the Lesser Celandine Toxic to Pets and Children?
Toxic (caution)
Reported as toxic in our plant data. Not verified by the ASPCA.
This is a general caution, not veterinary or medical advice. If your pet ate a plant, contact your vet or animal poison control.
See all plants toxic to cats and plants toxic to dogs.
What Pests and Diseases Affect the Lesser Celandine?
Lesser Celandine is susceptible to aphids, slugs, snails. Inspect the foliage regularly, especially along leaf undersides and stems. Treat infestations promptly with insecticidal soap or neem oil to prevent spread.
Yellow leaves, brown tips or drooping? See common plant problems and how to fix them.
Keep exploring plants
Lesser Celandine is one of many species covered in the complete plant care and identification guide, which groups plants by genus, attribute, and popularity.
It belongs to the Ranunculus genus — compare its care with other Ranunculus species on PlantoScan.
Ranunculus is part of the Ranunculaceae plant family — browse all Ranunculaceae genera and species.
Lesser Celandine thrives in bright light and direct sun — see other bright-light plants.
Related Plant Care Guides
Closely related plants with similar care requirements:
Sources
- Scientific name & taxonomy: Ranunculus ficaria L., family Ranunculaceae (first published in Sp. Pl. : 550 (1753)) — World Flora Online record, IPNI name record.
- Pet toxicity: Lesser Celandine is reported as toxic to pets in our plant data (not verified by the ASPCA), so treat it with caution. Checked against the ASPCA plant list; any other toxicity note on this page comes from PlantoScan's plant database.
- Photo: Gianni Del Bufalo bygdb, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist — original.
- Care values(watering, light, temperature, humidity, soil, fertilizing): PlantoScan's plant database, filtered by automatic plausibility checks — values that fail them are hidden. How we source and check plant data.
Spotted a mistake? Email info@upvision.media with the page link — we check and correct reported errors.
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