About Stylophorum diphyllum (Michx.) Nutt.
Stylophorum diphyllum is an herbaceous perennial plant. It grows from underground rhizomes, reaching a height of approximately 1.5 feet (0.46 meters). Its leaves are pinnately cut and lobed; leaves grow from the plant’s base, with one pair growing at the top of flowering stems. In addition to its normal sap, this species produces yellow-orange latex that can cause staining. In spring, its deep yellow flowers create a bright display on the forest floor; this species is also commonly called celandine poppy. Each flower has 4 yellow petals, two sepals that fall off early, numerous yellow-orange stamens, and a single knobby stigma. Flowers grow singly, or in umbels holding 2 to 4 flowers, and bloom from early spring to early summer. Flowers emerge from between the pair of leaves at the top of the flowering stems. They produce pollen, but no nectar. After fertilization, a bristly blue-green seed pod hangs below the leaves. Seeds that have white elaiosomes ripen in midsummer, and the pod opens by four flaps to release them.
