About Chelidonium majus L.
Greater celandine, known scientifically as Chelidonium majus L., is an erect perennial herbaceous plant that grows 30–120 cm (12–47 in) tall. Its blue-green pinnate leaves have lobed, wavy margins, and reach up to 30 cm (12 in) long. When the plant is injured, it oozes a yellow to orange latex. Its flowers have four yellow petals (each around 18 mm or 0.71 in long) and two sepals. A naturally occurring double-flowered variety exists. Flowers bloom from late spring to summer, specifically from May to September in the UK, arranged in umbelliform cymes that typically hold around four flowers each. Small black seeds develop inside long, cylindrical capsules. Each seed has an elaiosome, a structure that attracts ants, which disperse the seeds in a process called myrmecochory. Chelidonium majus is native to most regions of Europe. It also grows in North Africa in Macaronesia, Algeria, and Morocco; in Western Asia it occurs in the Caucasus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, Iran, and Turkey. It commonly grows in rocky slopes, woodlands, waste areas, and roadsides. It is classed as an aggressive invasive plant in parts of North America, and as an invasive plant in other regions. For example, it is listed as a restricted plant in Wisconsin. Control efforts mostly rely on pulling or spraying the plants before their seeds disperse.
