(Celandine Poppy). Wood Poppy is a native (not to Minnesota) perennial woodland forb that grows to 1-1/2' tall on hairy green stems that have some branching. Stems are hollow and along with the leaves, contain an acrid orange juice. The leaves are opposite, lobed and deeply divided - referred to as twice pinnatifid. Pinnatifid means that the lobes along the primary leaf rib are not cut all the way to the rib and thus do not make actual separate leaflets. Twice pinnatifid means that the individual side lobes are cleft but also not all the way down to the side lobe midrib - as a glance at the photo below will show. Margins of the lobes have large rounded teeth - (are crenate). Leaf stalks and midribs of the lobes have a few hair. Most leaves are basal and stalked, but flowering stems have a pair of leaves 2/3rds of the way up the stem on shorter stalks. The inflorescence is a single flower or an a small umbel of 2 to 4 flowers. Flowers have a beautiful deep shinning yellow corolla (like a Marsh Marigold), up to 2" wide, dividing into 4 petals with wavy edges. The calyx is very short with 2 green sepals that drop away early. The flower is perfect, with numerous stamens with yellow anthers and a single green pistil with a knob-like stigma. Seed: Flowers mature to a seed capsule that is ellipsoid in shape and covered with many long hairs and tipped with the persistent style. The capsule has four chambers which contain a number of brown reticulated seeds. These seeds have a white fringe of small oil bodies.

Habitat: Wood Poppy grows from rhizomes which can spread the plant vegetatively but it is not a rapid grower. It needs the rich moist soil of the deciduous woodland, sunlight prior to tree leafout and shade or dappled shade thereafter. It can remain vigorous throughout the season if not allowed to dry out. Repeat flowering can be encouraged by dead-heading. Names: The genus, Stylophorum is from two Greek words - stylos, meaning 'style' and phoros, meaning 'bearing' and together referring to the prominent style of this genus. The species, diphyllum, is also from the Greek di for 'two' and phyllon for 'leaf' referring to the pairs of opposite leaves on the flowering stems. Comparisons: Wood Poppy is similar in appearance to a poppy introduced from Europe, the Celandine, Chelidonium majus L., which is found naturalized in most of the eastern half of North America including Minnesota. It has smaller flowers, less that 3/4", and hairless seed capsules. That plant is quite weedy and should be avoided.