Stylophorum diphyllum (Yellow wood poppy)

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Stylophorum diphyllum (Michx.) Nutt.

Yellow wood poppy, celandine poppy

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Magnoliidae	Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others
Order	Papaverales	A group that includes buttercups and other poisonous plants
Family	Papaveraceae	Poppy family
Genus	Stylophorum	From the Greek words stylos, “style,” and phoros, “bearing” with reference to the long columnar style
Species	diphyllum	With two leaves or leaflets

About plant names...

It is not known whether celandine poppies originated in Europe or the southern United States. They prefer dry deciduous woodlands, bases of bluffs, and rocky stream banks.

Plants: Plants reach 1-1½′ (30-45 cm). Stems and leaves exude a bright yellow-orange sap when cut.

Leaves: This plant has basal leaves, as well as a pair of opposite leaves on the stem, both up to 6″ (15 cm) × 4″ (10 cm). Leaves are divided into 3-5 lobes which in turn are further divided, making them bipinnatifid. Leaf surfaces are dark green and hairless, while leaf undersides are pale as a result of fine hairs. Leaf stems (petioles) are up to 4″ (10 cm) long.

Flowers: Each flower has four partially overlapping yellow petals, two sepals (which fall away early after flowering), a knobby stigma, and multiple yellow-orange stamens. They appear in groups of one to four, and are 1¼-2″ (3.2-5.7 cm) around. Flowers May-June.

Fruits: Bristly blue-green ovoid seed pods, divided into four segments, ¾-1″ (1.9-2.5 cm).

Sometimes these are confused:

6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 19 cm)

	You are here Stylophorum diphyllum	*Ranunculus ficaria*	*Chelidonium majus*
Common Name	yellow wood poppy	lesser celandine	greater celandine
Plant	Plants reach 1-1½′ (30-45 cm). Stems and leaves exude a bright yellow-orange sap when cut.	Low-growing, 4-14″ (10-35 cm) in height. It is a perennial that stores energy in numerous white finger-like tubers.	Greater celandine reaches 1½-2′ (45-60 cm) in height, with ribbed stems. Leaves contain an irritating yellow-orange sap.
Flowers	Each flower has four partially overlapping yellow petals, two sepals (which fall away early after flowering), a knobby stigma, and multiple yellow-orange stamens. They appear in groups of one to four, and are 1¼-2″ (3.2-5.7 cm) around. Flowers May-June.	Up to 1″ (2.5 cm) around, with 7-12 glossy yellow petal-like tepals, and 3 sepal-like tepals (confused yet?). They appear as early as February, or, further north, from April-May.	About ¾″ (1.9 cm) around, with four yellow *non-overlapping* petals, a stiff green central style, and multiple yellow stamens.
Leaves	This plant has basal leaves, as well as a pair of opposite leaves on the stem, both up to 6″ (15 cm) × 4″ (10 cm). Leaves are divided into 3-5 lobes which in turn are further divided, making them bipinnatifid. Leaf surfaces are dark green and hairless, while leaf undersides are pale as a result of fine hairs. Leaf stems (petioles) are up to 4″ (10 cm) long.	Thick, heart-shaped (cordate), spirally arranged, ¾-1½″ (1.9-3.8 cm), on long stems (petioles). Leaves are sometimes mottled with darker green patches.	Up to 8″ (20 cm) long and 3″ (7.6 cm) wide, compound in groups of 5 to 9, green with a slight bluish tint.
Fruit	Bristly blue-green ovoid seed pods ¾-1″ (1.9-2.5 cm).	Achenes are spherical, up to ⅜″ (1.3 cm) around.	Seed capsules look like thin beans, ¾-2½″ (1.9-6.3 cm) long, with black seeds.
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 4-9		USDA Zones: 4-8
Habitats	Dry deciduous woodlands, bases of bluffs, and rocky stream banks.	It prefers damp shady areas, and weedy places. It often carpets large areas.	Moist or dry woods, thickets, fields, hedgerows, roadsides, railroads
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence			Common