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Papaveraceae
Greater Celandine
Chelidonium majus
Joy and renewal.
- Family
- Papaveraceae
- Genus
- Chelidonium
- Native to
- Europe, Western Asia
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 1-3 ft
- Sunlight
- part shade to full shade
- Soil
- Moist, fertile, well-drained
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 5-8
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- The name 'celandine' derives from the Greek word for swallow, as the plant blooms when swallows return in spring.
- Breaking the stems reveals bright orange sap that has been used since ancient times to treat warts and skin lesions.
- Greater celandine is a member of the poppy family, despite looking nothing like a typical poppy.
- Ants disperse the seeds by carrying them to their nests, attracted by the oily appendage (elaiosome) on each seed.
- Medieval alchemists believed the orange sap could transmute base metals into gold due to its vivid color.
Color meanings
0
joy
1
healing
2
returning happiness