Ranunculus vernus

Huds.

Lesser Celadine, Common buttercup, Pilewort

RanunculaceaeLeavesRootsFlowersScore: 1/100Potential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Roots, Flower buds

Young leaves are boiled and eaten in salads, sandwiches, or soups. Bleached stems are cooked and eaten. Bulbils and roots are soaked in salt water and cooked, often served with meat. Flower buds are used as a substitute for capers. Leaves are sold in local markets.

Known Hazards

All plants of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) contain a compound known as protoanemonin. When the plant is wounded, the unstable glucoside ranunculin turns into the toxin protoanemonin. Contact with damaged or crushed Ficaria leaves can cause itching, rashes or blistering on the skin or mucosa. Ingesting the toxin can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, spasms, or paralysis. In one case, a patient experienced acute hepatitis and jaundice when taking untreated lesser celandine extracts internally as an herbal remedy for hemorrhoids.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It suits hardiness zones 5-9.

Africa, Algeria, Asia, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Caucasus, Crete, Estonia, Europe, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mediterranean, North Africa, North America, Norway, Romania, Scandinavia, Sicily, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, USA,

Countries: Andorra, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Antigua & Barbuda, Albania, Armenia, Angola, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Barbados, Bangladesh, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Burundi, Benin, Brunei, Bahamas, Bhutan, Botswana, Belarus, Belize, Canada, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Switzerland, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cape Verde, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Djibouti, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Estonia, Egypt, Eritrea, Spain, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, United Kingdom, Grenada, Georgia, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Croatia, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Comoros, St Kitts & Nevis, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, St Lucia, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Libya, Morocco, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, Madagascar, North Macedonia, Mali, Myanmar, Mongolia, Mauritania, Malta, Mauritius, Maldives, Malawi, Mexico, Malaysia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, Oman, Panama, Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sudan, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sierra Leone, San Marino, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, El Salvador, Syria, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago, Taiwan, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uganda, United States, Uzbekistan, St Vincent, Vietnam, Yemen, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A small herb. It grows 5-20 cm high and spreads 20-60 cm wide. It keeps growing from year to year. The leaves are heart shaped and dark green. They are 35 mm long. The flowers usually occur singly and are 25 mm across. They are golden yellow.

Nutrition Score: 1/100

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Leaves	63	15	2.5	—	—	—	—	—

Medicinal Uses

Traditionally used in various preparations.

Other Information

Leaves are sold in the local markets.

Notes

There are about 400 Ranunculus species.

Names & Synonyms

Blyskac, Blystekm Favagello, Ficaria, Kanakoole, Katirnali, Lobiana, Purk'ak'ala, Varkal, Yaghot

Caltha hiranoi TamuraChelidonium minus Garsault [Invalid]Ficaria ambigua BoreauFicaria aperta SchurFicaria boryi Heldr. ex NymanFicaria bulbifera (Á. Löve & D. Löve) HolubFicaria communis Dum.Cours.Ficaria degenii Harv.Ficaria ficaria (L.) H. Karst. [Invalid]Ficaria holubyi SchurFicaria intermedia SchurFicaria peloponnesiaca NymanFicaria polypetala Gilib. [Invalid]Ficaria pumila Velen. ex Bornm.Ficaria ranunculiflora Moench ex St.-Lag.Ficaria ranunculoides Roth [Illegitimate]Ficaria robertii F. W. SchultzFicaria rotundifolia SchurFicaria stepporum P. A. Smirn.Ficaria transsilvanica SchurFicaria varia Otsch.Ficaria verna Ficaria verna subsp. bulbifera Á. Löve & D. LöveFicaria verna f. divergens (F. W. Schultz) SoóFicaria verna f. marmorata PriszterFicaria vulgaris J. St.-Hil.Ranunculus ficaria L.Ranunculus ficaria var. bulbifera AlbertRanunculus vernus f. divergens F. W. Schultz

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