Lesser Celandine at Fordhall
January 17, 2025
Long time volunteer David Proctor talks about the Lesser Celandine.
One of the delights of early spring is provided by the appearance of the lesser celandine ‘Ranunculus ficaria’, which often carpets woodland where it may grow up to six inches (15cm) and is very prevalent in Fordhall’s wood around the Roundhouse area.
The area beyond the river, which is the more recently acquired part of Fordhall, is ideal for the success of the lesser celandine, being a very damp grassland area, which has proved to be why there are very large parts which are completely covered in the very bright yellow flowers so indicative of the plant, so much so that William Wordsworth wrote a poem praising the flower as shining ‘bright as the sun himself’!
Various other grazing areas have parts where the flower is prevalent to a greater or lesser degree and it is most noticeable in the large pasture to the left below the Motte, which adjoins the river Tern to the boardwalk. The solitary flowers can have up to 12 yellow petals. which sometimes fade to white, as well as having three sepals. The leaves are heart-shaped on long stalks and often have light or dark markings, or may even become mottled.
The lesser celandine is yet another of Fordhall’s hidden gems and is a brilliant antidote to the modern world.
David Proctor, Long term volunteer and shareholder
