Celandine Species, Greater Celandine, Killwort, Nipplewort, Swallowwort, Tetterwort

On Feb 1, 2014, coriaceous from ROSLINDALE, MA wrote:

A persistent weed here, it didn't quite make the prohibited "invasive exotic" list in Massachusetts. I wonder how many years I'll have to keep weeding it out before I start to exhaust the seed bank.

Our native wood poppy Stylophorum diphyllum (also confusingly called Celandine-poppy) looks very similar but has much showier flowers. It also seeds about a bit but isn't weedy.

On Jul 14, 2012, aprilkaren from Nineveh, IN wrote:

I am in zone 5 and have tried to grow this plant without success. All of you who have so many and do not like it, would you be willing to send me one or some seed.I buy the extract form to treat skin cancer. Have used it for years. It has always cleared up the spots. Thanks.

On May 23, 2010, flowers4birds from Chilton, WI (Zone 5b) wrote:

I saw this plant blooming at a friend's house and thought it was a pretty wildflower, so I planted some seeds. Big Mistake! It is an alien invasive and is taking over my Wisconsin woodland. I now have thousands of them.

The stuff grows hip-deep in moist, shady soil and smothers all the other wildflowers by excuding light from them. Every seed grows, and they continue to sprout for years. Now I'm spending dozens of beautiful May days pulling the plants instead of enjoying my garden. I cannot get rid of it. It just keeps on spreading. They come up under all my bushes and are very difficult to reach. The bright orange juice bleeds copiously from this brittle plant and it stains everything it touches. The stains dry to a dirty dark gray and do not wash out. It will rui... read moren whatever clothing you wear while weeding and stain your hands unless you wear gloves.

Do not compost it after it starts to bloom. The plant will continue to grow and bloom and ripen seeds ever after it is pulled. You have to chop the flowers, buds and seed pods off and dispose of them in a land fill, or burn them. A torch weeder will scorch and kill the tiny seedlings where they are growing, but you must do this after a rain and be careful not to set the woods on fire. Roundup is also effective, but kills any remaining wildflowers still alive.

My township does not allow landfilling garden debris, so I must either burn it, or stuff it into black trash bags, seal the bags, set them in the hot sun and bake them to death for a few weeks. Any ripe seeds will still grow when discarded. Another way is to put them into a barrel of water totally submerged, and let them rot. If there were no ripe seeds, you can use the sludge for fertilizer. This brittle plant tends to break off at the roots which simply send up more shoots and bloom again, so you have to dig it out.

It is a spring-blooming perrenial that does not usually bloom the first yer, but there are exceptions, and a few will bloom at any season..

its larger relaitve, the woodland poppy is much more beautiful and not weedy in my garden.

On Mar 8, 2008, Malus2006 from Coon Rapids, MN (Zone 4a) wrote:

Weedy nonnative species that spreads by seeds - never grow weedy plants that spreads that way - you will never know where they will pop up next. I got and planted one by mistake - it was labeled Woodland Poppy but I found out when the seedpods develop - different from Woodland Poppy by its mustard - like seed pods while Woodland Poppy have rounded hairy seed pods. I got rid of the single plant without having it seed anywhere.

On Jul 28, 2006, quato from Hancock, MI wrote:

I noticed this plant growing in the border area at the back of my yard....it was in a shady area where mature trees and young trees were growing....I noticed it blooming in early May....it is now the end of July and it is still blooming and putting on new growth. I hope it will reseed itself as it is a perfect plant for that location. I will probably help mother nature and put seeds where I would like them to establish themselves. Does this plant flower the first year?

On Apr 28, 2005, JanetR from Ottawa, ON (Zone 4a) wrote:

This plant grows wild in my zone (4a). I collected seeds from the wild and grew it easily in my garden. By the third year, it was bushy and flowered continuously from May till frost. It is a wonderful foil for showier flowers, such as bleeding heart, wild geranium, and lilies. I had no pest problems, it reseeded a bit, but not invasively. This year, I rescued a volunteer from a common area before the weed whackers got to it and am planting it again at my new house. The flowers on mine are double, adding to the charm. This is apparently a spontaneous mutation.

On May 31, 2002, Baa wrote:

Clump forming, short lived perennial, which sometimes acts as a biennial, from Europe and Western Asia.

Has blue-green, lobed leaves with scalloped edges. Bears yellow, 4 petalled flowers.

Flowers May-July

Will grow in practically any soil, full sun or shade but prefers dappled shade and slightly moist soil.

Self seeds like no bodies business.

Sow seeds direct in Spring.