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Chelidonium majus

Celandine · Great Celandine · Greater Celandine

Family PapaveraceaeGenus Chelidonium

Yellow four-petalled flowers with a tuft of stamens, above soft gray-green leaves cut into rounded lobes, with furry green buds beside them.
FlowerВвласенкоCC BY-SA 4.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
Herbaceous PerennialExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Height
1-2 ft30-60 cmExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Spread
0.7-1 ft20-30 cmExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Flower
Gold/YellowExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
SummerExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
Albania, Algeria, Altay, Amur, Austria, Azores and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy
Hardiness zones
4-8Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Growing conditions

Sun
Dappled Sunlight; Deep shade; Partial ShadeExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil
Clay, High Organic Matter, Loam (Silt), SandExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Good Drainage, MoistExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • From the Greek chelidōn, swallow, hence the name swallowwort. Ancient writers said it bloomed when the swallows returned and faded when they left. Wikipedia: Chelidonium majus
  • Not closely related to lesser celandine, which is a buttercup. Its yellow sap has been used as a craft dye and an imitation gold paint. Wikipedia: Chelidonium majus

Protocol

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

    3 germinated in this phase.

  3. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

    3 germinated in this phase.

Steps after step 1 run on after germination.

Germination happens during step 1, in 49 days.

48% germination in 14–49 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Chelidonium p. 117Public domain
Show the original text
Chelidonium (Papaveraceae). C. majus germ. 70(48% in 2-7 w)-40(3%)- 70(3%). Fresh seed sown at 40 or DS seed sown at either 70 or 40 all rotted and these are fatal treatments.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Chelidonium p. 117. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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