ExplorePlants

Greater celandine

Chelidonium majus

Greater celandine is a bright yellow flower that grows in gardens and along roadsides. Its leaves are big and green, and it can be found in many places during spring and summer.

Habitat: Urban areas

Appearance

The Greater celandine has bright yellow, four-petaled cup-shaped flowers. Its deeply lobed, blue-green leaves are distinctive, and its stems exude a unique orange-yellow sap when broken, making it visually stand out.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderRanunculalesFamilyPapaveraceaeGenusChelidonium
Greater celandine
flowering trait badgespring_blooming trait badgesummer_blooming trait badgebroadleaf_tree trait badge
Greater celandine

Category

Plants

Rarity

Common

Danger

2/5 · Low

Snaps

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Interesting facts

Alchemists once sought its golden sap for making precious gold.

Ancient Greeks believed it bloomed exactly when swallows returned.

Each tiny seed has a tasty fat treat for ants to discover!

Its bright orange sap surprisingly glows under UV light!

Special abilities

Ability

Sap Shield

Greater celandine can ooze bright orange-yellow sap that tastes bad to deter hungry animals from eating its leaves and stems.

Ability

Ant Recruiters

Greater celandine has special fatty appendages on its seeds that attract ants to carry and disperse them to new locations.

Measurements & details

Height
30-100 cm
Spread
30-60 cm
Flower Size
2-3 cm
Bloom Season
Late spring to mid-summer
Edible
No
Toxicity
High
Lifecycle
Perennial
Pollination Method
Insect

Ecological connections

pollinates

Honey bee

Apis mellifera

Collects nectar and pollen.

depends on

Red ant

Myrmica rubra

Disperses seeds with elaiosomes.

eats

Celandine aphid

Aphis chelidonii

Feeds on plant sap.

Traits

Also known as

CelandineSwallowwort

Collections

Safety

Danger

2/5 · Low

Do not touch or eat any plants without asking an adult first.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall is Greater celandine?

30-100 cm

How wide does Greater celandine spread?

30-60 cm

How big are the flowers on Greater celandine?

2-3 cm

When does Greater celandine bloom?

Late spring to mid-summer

Is Greater celandine edible?

No

Is Greater celandine toxic?

High

What is Greater celandine's lifecycle?

Perennial

How is Greater celandine pollinated?

Insect

Snap Map

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Where to spot

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