Greater celandine (Chelidonium majus) is an interesting, attractive flower known by several alternate names, including chelidonium, tetterwort, wartweed, devil’s milk, wartwort, rock poppy, garden celandine, and others. Read on for greater celandine plant info, including concerns about greater celandine in gardens.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Chelidonium majus, the greater celandine, is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae. One of two species in the genus Chelidonium, it is native to Europe and western Asia and introduced widely in North America.
The plant known as lesser celandine (Ficaria verna) is not closely related, as it belongs to the buttercup family Ranunculaceae.
Greater celandine is a perennial herbaceous plant with an erect habit, and reaches 30–120 cm (12–47 in) high. The blue-green leaves are pinnate with lobed and wavy margins, up to 30 cm (12 in) long. When injured, the plant exudes a yellow to orange latex.
The flowers consist of four yellow petals, each about 18 mm (0.71 in) long, with two sepals. A double-flowered variety occurs naturally. The flowers appear from late spring to summer, May to September (in the UK), in umbelliform cymes of about four flowers.
The seeds are small and black, borne in a long, cylindrical capsule. Each has an elaiosome, which attracts ants to disperse the seeds (myrmecochory).
Chelidonium majus is one of the many species described by the father of taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus, in volume one of his Species Plantarum in 1753.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name celandine comes from Late Latin celidonia, from earlier Latin chelidonia or chelidonium, and ultimately from Ancient Greek χελιδόνιον, from χελιδών (chelidṓn) “swallow”, hence the common name “swallowwort”. Ancient writers said that the flower bloomed when the swallows returned and faded when they left. Chelidonium majus has also been called great celandine,, nipplewort, tetterwort, or simply “celandine”. The common name tetterwort also refers to Sanguinaria canadensis.
It is considered an aggressive invasive plant in parts of North America, and an invasive plant in other areas. In Wisconsin, for example, it is a restricted plant. Control is obtained mainly via pulling or spraying the plant before seed dispersal.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight and Soil
Greater celandine is a low-maintenance plant suitable for temperate regions, thriving in well-drained soil and partial to full sunlight exposure.
Watering
Originating from the damp woodlands of Europe and Asia, greater celandine thrives in moist environments. It has a preference for consistent moisture but is resilient enough to withstand brief periods without water. In cultivation, greater celandine should be watered every week to maintain its lush growth. As an herbaceous perennial commonly grown outdoors, greater celandine’s growth cycle is closely tied to water availability, flourishing with adequate rainfall or supplemental irrigation during its active growing season.
Fertilizing
For greater celandine, utilize balanced fertilizers to encourage robust health and flowering. Apply a diluted solution once monthly during the growing season; over-fertilizing can harm greater celandine. Seasonal growth variances entail a spring and summer focus, tapering off in fall and ceasing in winter. Measure carefully for greater celandine’s size and container. Implement a regular fertilization routine, ensuring nutrients match greater celandine’s stage of growth for optimal vigor.
Planting Instructions
Germination can be slow and erratic, with some seeds taking up to twelve months to sprout. It can be sown in place in early spring or late fall. If choosing this approach, keep weeds in the area to a minimum to allow seeds to germinate and plants to establish. Once the first ones are established, they often self-seed and proliferate, but this can take several years to achieve. Seeds and also be started in pots. Individual pots with several seeds per pot or cell flats are recommended, so seedlings can be removed as they grow without disturbing other seeds. Some will often germinate rapidly, but others may not, so patience is needed.
Start indoors in later winter and remove plants as they become large enough to transplant. Place the rest of the growing medium outside in a semi-shaded area and continue to water throughout the year, picking out seedlings as they appear. It is best if the pots/flats are placed on a bench or shelf to reduce weed seed introduction to the growing medium. Trays can be left out over winter if all the seeds have still not germinated.
Transplanting
It’s best to transplant greater celandine during the late summer to early autumn, making the most of the plant’s dormant period. Choose a spot that offers partial shade to protect greater celandine from the midday sun. When transplanting, ensure the root ball is fully covered for optimal growth.
Repotting
It’s best to transplant greater celandine during the late summer to early autumn, making the most of the plant’s dormant period. Choose a spot that offers partial shade to protect greater celandine from the midday sun. When transplanting, ensure the root ball is fully covered for optimal growth.
III. Uses and Benefits
- Medicinal uses
The aerial parts and roots of greater celandine are used in herbalism. The above-ground parts are gathered during the flowering season and dried at high temperatures. The root is harvested in autumn between August and October and dried. The fresh rhizome is also used. Celandine has a hot and bitter taste. Preparations are made from alcoholic and hot aqueous extractions. The related plant bloodroot has similar chemical composition and uses as greater celandine.
As far back as Pliny the Elder and Dioscorides (1st century CE) this herb has been recognized as a useful detoxifying agent. The root has been chewed to relieve toothache. John Gerard’s Herball (1597) states that “the juice of the herbe is good to sharpen the sight, for it cleanseth and consumeth away slimie things that cleave about the ball of the eye and hinder the sight and especially being boiled with honey in a brasen vessel.”
It was formerly used by some Romani people as a foot refresher; modern herbalists use its purgative properties. The modern herbalist Juliette de Baïracli Levy recommended greater celandine diluted with milk for the eyes and the latex for getting rid of warts. Chelidonium was a favorite herb of the French herbalist Maurice Mességué. Chelidonium majus has traditionally been used for treatment of various inflammatory diseases including atopic dermatitis. It is also traditionally used in the treatment of gallstones and dyspepsia.
The Iroquois give an infusion of the whole plant, another plant and milk to pigs that drool and have sudden movements.
It was also once used to treat liver disorders, owing to the juice’s resemblance to bile.
IV. Harvesting and Storage
Greater Celandine plants are harvested during the spring when they begin to bloom. Herb can be used fresh or dried for later use. Roots are harvested in the fall when they are at their peak. These can also be dried for later use. It is highly recommended that gloves be worn when harvesting plants from leaves, roots, or seeds. The latex is mildly toxic, and many people have an allergic reaction that can cause rashes and skin.
V. How to Control
If you’re thinking about growing greater celandine in gardens, think twice. This plant is extremely invasive and may soon crowd out other less rambunctious plants. Even growing the plant in a container isn’t a solution because greater celandine produces great numbers of seeds, which are dispersed by ants and germinate easily. In short, it’s extremely difficult – if not impossible – to prevent this plant from spreading to unwanted places unless you confine the plant to a greenhouse. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that the entire plant is toxic, especially the roots.
The key to greater celandine control is to never let the plant go to seed. It’s fortunate that the plant has shallow roots because greater celandine control involves a lot of pulling. Wear gloves because the sap may irritate your skin. You can also use herbicides to kill young plants before they set seeds.
VI. Difference Between Greater Celandine and Celandine Poppy
Before considering the characteristics of greater celandine in gardens, it’s important to learn the differences between greater celandine and celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), a native plant also known as wood poppy. The two plants are similar, and it can be difficult to know which is which because both have bright yellow, four-petaled flowers that bloom in late spring. However, they have distinct differences. The most dependable method to distinguish greater celandine and celandine poppy is to look at the seed pods.
Greater celandine displays long, narrow seed pods while celandine poppy has fuzzy, oval-shaped pods. Additionally, greater celandine displays small blooms measuring less than an inch (2.5 cm.) across, while celandine poppies are double that size. Celandine poppy is native to the United States. It is well-behaved and easy to grow. Greater celandine in gardens, on the other hand, is another story altogether.
