Chelidonium majus (Greater celandine)

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Chelidonium majus L.

Greater celandine, celandine

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Magnoliidae	Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others
Order	Papaverales	A group that includes buttercups and other poisonous plants
Family	Papaveraceae	Poppy family
Genus	Chelidonium	From Greek chelidon, “swallow,” because it was believed that C. majus flowered when the swallows nest during summer
Species	majus	“Bigger, larger”

About plant names...

This native of Eurasia was introduced to North America, where it is now widespread.

Plants: Greater celandine reaches 18-24" (45-60 cm) in height, with ribbed stems. Leaves contain an irritating yellow-orange sap.

Leaves: Leaves are up to 8" (20 cm) long and 3" (7.6 cm) wide, compound in groups of 5 to 9, green with a slight bluish tint.

Flowers: About ¾" (1.9 cm) around, with four yellow non-overlapping petals, a stiff green central style, and multiple yellow stamens.

Fruits: Seed capsules look like thin beans, ¾-2½" (1.9-6.3 cm) long, with black seeds.

Sometimes these are confused:

The sap is bright orange. · 7/17/2013 · Near Nashua River Boat Ramp, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 2 × 1½" (5.1 × 4 cm)

5/12/2016 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts

	*Stylophorum diphyllum*	*Ranunculus ficaria*	You are here Chelidonium majus
Common Name	yellow wood poppy	lesser celandine	greater celandine
Plant	Plants reach 12-18" (30-45 cm). Stems and leaves exude a bright yellow-orange sap when cut.	Low-growing, 4-14" (10-35 cm) in height. It is a perennial that stores energy in numerous white finger-like tubers.	Greater celandine reaches 18-24" (45-60 cm) in height, with ribbed stems. Leaves contain an irritating yellow-orange sap.
Flowers	Each flower has four partially overlapping yellow petals, two sepals (which fall away early after flowering), a knobby stigma, and multiple yellow-orange stamens. They appear in groups of one to four, and are 1¼-2" (3.2-5.7 cm) around. Flowers May-June.	Up to 1" (2.5 cm) around, with 7-12 glossy yellow petal-like tepals, and 3 sepal-like tepals (confused yet?). They appear as early as February, or, further north, from April-May.	About ¾" (1.9 cm) around, with four yellow *non-overlapping* petals, a stiff green central style, and multiple yellow stamens.
Leaves	This plant has basal leaves, as well as a pair of opposite leaves on the stem, both up to 6" (15 cm) × 4" (10 cm). Leaves are divided into 3-5 lobes which in turn are further divided, making them bipinnatifid. Leaf surfaces are dark green and hairless, while leaf undersides are pale as a result of fine hairs. Leaf stems (petioles) are up to 4" (10 cm) long.	Thick, heart-shaped (cordate), spirally arranged, ¾-1½" (1.9-3.8 cm), on long stems (petioles). Leaves are sometimes mottled with darker green patches.	Up to 8" (20 cm) long and 3" (7.6 cm) wide, compound in groups of 5 to 9, green with a slight bluish tint.
Fruit	Bristly blue-green ovoid seed pods ¾-1" (1.9-2.5 cm).	Achenes are spherical, up to ⅜" (1.3 cm) around.	Seed capsules look like thin beans, ¾-2½" (1.9-6.3 cm) long, with black seeds.
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 4-9		USDA Zones: 4-8
Habitats	Dry deciduous woodlands, bases of bluffs, and rocky stream banks.	It prefers damp shady areas, and weedy places. It often carpets large areas.	Moist or dry woods, thickets, fields, hedgerows, roadsides, railroads
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence			Common

From Thomé, Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm, Flora von Deutschland Österreich und der Schweiz., 1885.

Edibility: Poisonous Skull & Crossbones Stem juice is toxic and extremely irritating and allergenic. Paralysis, nausea, vomiting, coma, respiratory tract irritation, violent coughing, ulcers, and dyspnoea have been attributed to this plant.^[1]. More recently, it has been implicated in liver disease as well.^[2]

Medical: Greater celandine has been used for many different medical purposes historically (see footnotes 1 and 2), but I don't believe any of these uses have been confirmed with research.

Online References:

Ontario Wildflowers

Illinois Wildflowers

All-creatures.org

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

CalPhotos

Minnesota Wildflowers

8/14/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 6" (14 × 15 cm)

7/27/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 4" (9.3 × 10 cm)

5/20/2014 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 5 × 7" (12 × 16 cm)

5/13/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 3 × 4" (8 × 11 cm)

2/11/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 14 × 10" (34 × 26 cm)

8/14/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 20 cm) ID is uncertain

5/12/2016 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts

7/17/2009 · Mt. Lebanon St, Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)

5/12/2016 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts

4/30/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 4 × 3" (10 × 7.9 cm)

¹For details, see Plants for a Future

²Henriette’s Herbal Homepage

Chelidonium majus description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

5/17/2013 · Gibbet Hill, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 31 × 36" (79 × 91 cm)

5/12/2016 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts

5/20/2014 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 8 × 6" (20 × 14 cm)

4/20/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 17 cm)

4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 24 × 16" (62 × 41 cm)

7/17/2009 · Mt. Lebanon St, Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 21 × 14" (52 × 35 cm)

8/14/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 11" (18 × 27 cm) ID is uncertain

5/18/2017 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Wildflower Trail, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 10 cm)

9/27/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 12" (23 × 30 cm)

5/12/2016 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts

5/2/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)

4/22/2015 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 7 × 6" (17 × 14 cm)

Range: Zones 4-8:

About this map...