Greater celandine
Yellow-flowered poppy of shady edges; it has no nectar but is a small, steady pollen source from spring to autumn.
- Nectar
- None
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0,3-0,8 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Greater celandine is a yellow-flowered perennial of the poppy family, common at the foot of shady walls, along hedges and in woodland clearings. It secretes no nectar; honey bees and wild bees collect only pollen from the flowers. Thanks to its long flowering period it provides a small but steady pollen contribution from spring to autumn.
Flowering
It flowers on and off from late April to September, most heavily in May and June. Because it also flowers in partial shade, it keeps up the pollen supply in wooded areas.
Honey and pollen
The flowers, with four yellow petals and many stamens, carry plenty of pollen. No honey is produced under its name.
Note for the beekeeper
The orange sap that runs from a broken stem irritates skin and eyes because of the alkaloids it contains; the plant is not edible. No harmful effect on bee products has been reported. Ants carry its seeds, so it spreads by itself in the garden; leaving it in place gives shady corners a modest pollen source.