ETYM Old Eng. celidoine, Old Fren. celidoine, French chélidoine, from Latin chelidonia (sc. herba), from chelidonius pertaining to the swallow, Greek chelidonios, from chelidon the swallow, akin to Latin hirundo a swallow.
Perennial herb with branched woody stock and bright yellow flowers; SYN. greater celandine, swallowwort, swallow wort, Chelidonium majus.
Two plants belonging to different families, and resembling each other only in their bright yellow flowers. The greater celandine Chelidonium majus belongs to the poppy family (Papaveraceae) and is a common introduced European weed on wooded slopes in the US. The lesser celandine Ranunculus ficaria is a European member of the buttercup family.