Lesser celandine
A low glossy-leaved buttercup relative that carpets damp ground with brilliant yellow stars from February, and one of the earliest substantial pollen sources in a European spring. It has almost disappeared by June, which makes it the classic spring ephemeral — abundant, brief and essential.
Where not to plant it
Seriously invasive in North America, where it forms dense mats that exclude native spring ephemerals. It is banned or restricted in several states and should not be planted there.
Value to bees
- Nectar
- Moderate
- Pollen
- High
- As a honey crop
- Not a honey source
- Which bees, and why
- Worked heavily by early mining bees and emerging bumblebee queens. The flowers close in dull weather and on cold days, which concentrates visitation into the hours bees can actually fly.
Completely open flowers with fully exposed nectaries and anthers.
- Worth knowing
- A moderate nectar source and a generous pollen source at exactly the point in the year when colonies need pollen for brood.
Flowering
- In flower
- February to May (northern hemisphere)
An early spring ephemeral — abundant from February and gone entirely by June.
Growing it
- Conditions
- Damp ground in sun or part shade, and thoroughly undemanding. It arrives without invitation in most damp gardens.
- Size
- 5-25 cm tall, spreading into carpets.
- Native range
- Europe, western Asia and North Africa, in damp woodland, riverbank, hedgerow and lawn.
- Suits
- Meadow or wildflower area, Large gardens, Hedgerow
- It arrives on its own in damp gardens; the useful action is to tolerate it rather than to plant it.
- Spreads by bulbils and is very difficult to remove once established, so do not introduce it where that would be unwelcome.
- Dies back completely by June, so it does not compete with summer planting.
What it looks like
Low rosettes of glossy heart-shaped dark green leaves with brilliant glossy yellow star-shaped flowers of eight to twelve narrow petals, opening in sun and closing in dull weather.
Sources
- Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland — Bloomsbury (2015) · Field guide
- Assessment Report on Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production — Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) (2016) · Systematic review Link
How sources are selected and weighted is set out in the sources and evidence policy.
Guides covering this plant
- Winter forage: plants that flower for bees from November to MarchBees fly on mild winter days and most gardens offer them nothing. Filling the November-to-March gap is the single highest-value planting decision a temperate garden can make, and it takes about six plants.
- Spring plants for beesSpring forage decides how many colonies exist by summer. A bumblebee queen who cannot find pollen in March does not found a colony, and a honey bee colony without early pollen cannot build.
Tools for planning planting
- Flowering calendar
What should I plant so that something is always in flower for bees?
- Bee-friendly garden planner
What should I plant in the space I actually have?
- Plant recommendation tool
Which plant fills this specific gap?