Greater Celandine

Identification: 

Greater celandine is an herbaceous biennial, sometimes perennial, that grows up to 2 feet tall. It has sprawling branches and ribbed stems covered with soft hairs. Leaves are up to 6” long and 3” wide with 5 leaflets or lobes that are ovate, with rounded teeth. They are slightly hairy, green above and pale green below, with have fine hairs along the leaf veins. Yellow flowers have 4 petals and bloom from April to September. Below ground, they have a taproot with a semi-woody stem base. When broken, it reveals an orange-yellow sap. Sap can be irritating to the skin and eyes, and highly toxic if ingested.

Control:

Hand pull or dig up the plant before seed set. When grasped low on the main stalk, it is relatively easy to pull the plant up by the taproot. Wear thick gloves during any removal to protect against irritating sap.

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