Kitchen Garden Forum

I have a mountain of work to do and the tea to get on, so I thought I'd waste some time and ask your opinions on this plant that's appeared in my border.
Do I pull it up or not? It looks promising to me.

Dear Jenny, i think it's Ranunculus ficaria or commonly known as the Lesser Celandine, if so it can be very invasive.
If i'm right with the identification i would dig it up, as i know to my own cost .

Ah yes that would make a lot of sense.I used to have a lot of celandine in the border before I cleared it out. Can't recognise it without the flowers.

It it definitely Lesser Celandine. Brilliant photograph - identical to the new leaves appearing in our field.

Dig it up, making sure to get out all the tubers/bulbs. Or you could cultivate it to cure haemorrhoids. One of its old names is Pilewort.
Wordsworth was very fond of it, though not for the above reason He wrote:

"I have seen thee, high and low,
Thirty years or more, and yet
T'was a face I did not know."

Alan

Very informative Alan i must say, is there no end to you knowledge.

OH
I have a brain like a dustbin (or compost heap), also know my way round Wikipedia

Alan

Thanks Alan.
Was Wordsworth referring to Lesser Celandine or his piles?

Dear Jenny, i must say, that is quite awful.

From the always wonderful 'Plants For A Future' database:

http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php ... us+ficaria

It is possible to eat it in small amounts...

Herby, I had a good teacher.
Mole, are you trying to kill me? It says that plant's poisonous in all its parts.

Would I Jenny?javascript:emoticon(':)')
Smile

further down said page:

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Root.

Edible Uses: Condiment.

Young leaves in spring - raw or cooked as a potherb[2, 74, 105, 183]. The first leaves in spring make an excellent salad[9]. The leaves, stalks and buds can be used like spinach[9], whilst the blanched stems are also eaten[46, 183]. The leaves turn poisonous as the fruit matures[74]. Caution is advised regarding the use of this plant for food, see the notes above on toxicity. Bulbils - cooked and used as a vegetable[9, 105]. The bulbils are formed at the leaf axils and also at the roots[9, 183]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. The flower buds make a good substitute for capers[183].
Medicinal Uses

It's very pretty in early spring, but it's so invasive that once you've got it you can't get rid of it. If you have a 'wild' area I'd limit it to that and I'd scrape off the top surface of the areas it's in and spade it over to a wild corner. Or alternatively, into the green bin. You'll only spread this one by ordinary weeding.

Message for oldherbaceous

My book also tells me that Lesser Celandine is known as Crowpightle in the fair county of Bedfordshire.
Can you shed any light on this?

Before you ask - we call it Llygad Ebrill or Melyn y Gwanwyn (which mean April's Eye and Spring Yellow)

Alan

Good morning Alan, i'm afraid i can't shed any light on the Bedfordshire name for Celandine.
It appears my batteries must be running low.
I will ask around, and see what i can come up with.

Much appreciated

Alan