Celandine Poppy flowers

Wood Poppies or Celandine Poppies (Stylophorum diphyllum) are not often found in Georgia. We transplanted these from Southern Indiana, where they are very common, and they are doing well around our house. Native Americans used the yellow juice from these plants as a dye.

They are called Celandine Poppies because of the resemblance of their leaves to an Old World Plant called Celandine (Chelidonium magus). The word “celandine” is derived from the Greek “khelidon”, which means “swallow”. The Old World plant was called Celandine because it bloomed when swallows arrived in the Spring. The generic name “Stylophorum” means “bearing a style” and refers to the prominent style (the stalk which protrudes from the top of the ovary and receives the pollen) which can be seen on the top two flowers in the upper left of the photograph. The leftmost photograph shows the style protruding above the many stamens. The flower just to its right has been fertilized, the stamens have fallen off, and the ovary can be seen below the style.