General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Partial Shade to Full Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 2 -45.6 °C (-50 °F) to -42.8 °C (-45°F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 9b
Plant Height: 18 to 27 inches (45-70 cm)
Plant Spread: 12 to 16 inches (30-40cm)
Leaves: Unusual foliage color
Semi-evergreen
Fruiting Time: Spring
Summer
Fall
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Yellow
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Late winter or early spring
Spring
Summer
Fall
Late fall or early winter
Underground structures: Taproot
Uses: Culinary Herb
Medicinal Herb
Will Naturalize
Suitable as Annual
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Rabbit Resistant
Tolerates dry shade
Toxicity: Leaves are poisonous
Roots are poisonous
Fruit is poisonous
Other: Very bitter, with yellow to orange latex
Propagation: Seeds: Self fertile
Stratify seeds: see below
Needs specific temperature: see below
Suitable for wintersowing
Sow in situ
Start indoors
Can handle transplanting
Other info: Cover the seeds very thin, sow at 18°-22°C for 4 weeks, move to -4 C°- +4 C° for 6 weeks,move to 10 C°. for germination, or wintersow.
Pollinators: Self
Beetles
Flies
Bees

Image
Common names
  • Celandine
  • Greater Celandine
  • Killwort
  • Wartwort
  • Swallowwort
  • Tetterwort
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Chelidonium majus
  • Synonym: Chelidonium majus var. plenum

Photo Gallery
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2015-05-05
Location: My gardwen in Belgium
Location: Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2011-06-06
Location: Vermont
Date: 2018-05-24
What is this?
Location: RHS Harlow Carr, Yorkshire, UK
Date: 2020-06-07
Location: Hortus Camera Lapidea 
Date: 2023-04-30
Location: Denver Botanic Gardens
Date: May 1st 2006

photo credit: H. Zell
Location: Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2011-06-06
Location: Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2011-06-06
Location: Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2011-06-06
Location: Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2011-06-06
Location: RHS Harlow Carr, Yorkshire, UK
Date: 2020-06-07
Location: My garden in Belgium
Date: 2014-06-30
Location: My garden in Belgium
Date: 2014-06-30

Photo by Antti Bilund
Location: Hortus Camera Lapidea 
Date: 2023-04-30
Location: Hortus Camera Lapidea 
Date: 2023-04-30
Location: Hortus Camera Lapidea 
Date: 2023-04-30
Location: My garden in N E Pa. 
Date: 2009-05-02
Location: Sao Vincente - Madeira
Date: 2023-04-10
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2015-05-22
Location: CZ Sirem My garden
Date: 2015-05-03
Location: CZ Sirem My garden
Date: 4000-05-04
Location: CZ Sirem My garden
Date: 2015-05-03
Location: CZ Sirem My garden
Date: 2015-05-03

photo credit: H. Zell

photo credit: H. Zell
Location: My Garden, Ontario, Canada
Date: 2017-06-04
Celandine naturalized along a fence on our property.

photo credit: H. Zell

Date: July
credit: John Cameron
Comments:
  • Posted by SongofJoy (Clarksville, TN - Zone 6b) on Mar 21, 2014 5:55 AM concerning plant:
    The whole plant is toxic in moderate doses as it contains a range of isoquinoline alkaloids but there are numerous therapeutic uses when used at the correct dosage.[1] The main alkaloid present in the herb and root is coptisine. (Wikipedia)
  • Posted by Sharon (Calvert City, KY - Zone 7a) on Dec 3, 2011 1:09 AM concerning plant:
    The juice from Celandine has a strong skin-irritating effect and was used in folk medicine to remove warts and treat eczema and ringworm. Today the plant is mainly used in the production of yellow dye for wool.
Discussion Threads about this plant
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Double by Cyclaminist May 11, 2016 12:47 AM 3

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