Species name :

Chelidonium majusL.
Published in L., Sp. Pl. 505 (1753)

Synonyms :

Basionym or principal synonym: No Main Synonyms

Full list of synonyms : [ Euro+Med ]   [ PlantList ]   [ IPNI ]   [ Catalogue of Life ]

Plant Family :

Papaveraceae The Poppy Family 9 Papaveraceae species recorded from Malta.
Juss.

English name(s) :

Greater Celandine

Maltese name(s) :

Ħaxixa tal-felul

Status for Malta :

Casual Alien

Frequency :

Very Common     Common     Frequent     Scarce     Rare     Very Rare     Extinct

Growth form :

Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: HEMICRYPTOPHYTE (Creeping plants)
Germination [info]: Dicotyledon

Legal Protection [link]:

Not Protected by Law (LN200/2011 or LN311/2006)

Red List (1989) :

Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands

Flowering Time :

Apr-Jun

Colour of Flowers:

Yellow

Habitat in Europe:

Shady banks and walls.

Preferred habitat in Malta:

Data will be available in the next update of this website.

Botanical Description:

Glaucous, sparsely pubescent perennial. Stems 30-90 cm. Leaves pinnate; leaflets 5-7, ovate to oblong, the terminal usually 3-lobed, the lateral often with a stipule-like lobe at base on lower side, all crenate or (var. laciniatum (Miller) Syme) deeply incised. Inflorescence an umbel of 2-6 flowers. Petals up to 1 cm, obovate, bright yellow. Stamens yellow; filaments expanded above. Capsule 3-5 cm, more or less straight, glabrous; aril white.

Chromosome number:

2n=12

Distributional range:

Europe, except the extreme north, but in some districts only as an escape from gardens.

Distributional map in Europe
and the Mediterranean region (2018):

Occurrences in Europe.
(from Flora Europaea pre year 1993):

All except Crete, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Svalbard archipelago, only as a naturalized alien in Ireland, and perhaps elsewhere

Occurrences in Europe and the Mediterranean region.
(Euro+Med Checklist, 2017) - Country codes

Ab Ag Al Ar Au(A) Az(C F G J L M P T) Be(B L) BH Bl(M N) Br Bu By Ca(H T) Cg Co -Cr Cs Ct Da Es Fe Ga(F) Ge Gg Gr He Ho Hs(A S) Hu It La Lt Lu Ma Mk Mo No Po Rf(C N NW S) Rm Sa Si(M S) Sk Sl Su Tu(A E) Uk(K) [nHb]