Ficaria verna 'Collarette'

Horticultural cultivar of the Lesser Celandine, a tuberous perennial of the Ranunculaceae family, selected for the very particular structure of its semi-double flowers.

This cultivar forms small low and compact clumps, 8 to 12 cm in height. The foliage is cordate, glossy, dark green with prominent veins and slightly tinged with dark purple, giving it an ornamental appearance even outside of flowering.

The flower is the most unique element of this cultivar: it features an outer crown of wide, flattened, bright yellow petals surrounding a center densely filled with transformed, tight and domed petals, in a deeper orange-yellow, forming a sort of collar — hence its name. The central bud, green, often remains visible at the heart of the open flower.

Its flowering in cultivation extends from February to April depending on the regions. Like all celandines, the plant completely disappears in summer after its growing period.

In cultivation, it prefers a fresh, humus-rich soil, well-drained in summer, in partial shade or under light cover. Sterile, this cultivar does not produce seeds and therefore poses no risk of invasion; it multiplies only by division of the tubers.