OH MY DARLING CELANDINE

IN EARLY spring, I wrote about the sunny celandines in the hedgerows heralding the arrival of spring and pointed out whilst they are the easily recognised and much loved lesser celandine, there is also a greater celandine which flowers later.

Well – it’s later and they’re flowering. They are clothing a bank at the bottom of my brother’s garden and whilst admired by many, I don’t think they realise that they are also called “celandine”.

Although, together with the yellow flowers, that is where the relationship ends. The greater celandine is actually a member of the poppy family (and sometimes known as the celandine poppy) and is totally unrelated to lesser celandine, which is a member of the buttercup family.

Who said plant relationships were easy?! Or any relationships, for that matter...

The greater celandine is also known as “swallow wort” as it is supposed to start flowering when the first swallows arrive – it’s botanical name Chelidonium is derived from the Greek for swallow.

Despite being useful ground cover in the right place, and loved by pollinators, it can become quite invasive and is often regarded as a weed.

Herbalists have sometimes recommended the use of it for the topical treatment of warts, dried parts of the whole plant are used in several different medicines and there are reports of it being used in cancer treatments, but for the general public, it is worth knowing that the Greater celandine is actually poisonous, especially its reddish yellow sap, which you’ll see if you break a stem.