Green plants are beginning to peek above the soil, which can be an encouraging sign that spring has sprung. What you don’t want to see in your yard, however, are the little clumps of heart- or arrowhead-shaped leaves. This is lesser celandine, an aggressive invader that will kill your grass as well as perennials in garden beds. Lesser celandine spreads underground through pea-sized white nodules. It blooms with a small, attractive yellow flower in spring, but then it goes dormant, leaving bare ground behind.
If you see only one or two clumps of lesser celandine on your lawn, you can dig it out carefully, being sure to get all the white nodules from below the surface. Throw it in your trash, and not your compost! A larger infestation will require you to use an herbicide. The earlier you spray in spring, the better, but it may take several seasons for you to get rid of this pesky plant.
This aggressive plant with a buttercup-like flower should not be confused with Marsh Marigold or Celandine Poppy, two lovey non-invasive Midwest native alternatives.
