April 13, 2025

Wood Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) in bloom right now. A marvelous plant native to the east and central United States and southwestern Ontario. Its rich yellow is a color that I adore.

Stylophorum diphyllum has two common names, Wood Poppy and Celadine Poppy. I choose to use the name Wood Poppy since there is another plant with a similar name, Greater Celadine (Chelidonium majus). Greater Celadine has a similar appearance, and is a non-native highly invasive plant. The name Wood Poppy leaves no confusion.

In the wild it is threatened by two invasives that are a concern to many native plants, Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata), and Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum).

Wood Poppy is a flower which only provides pollen for visitors looking for such things, but no nectar. And it is one of those plants that has seeds with an oily appendage called an elaiosome. Ants gather these seeds to provide their larvae a nutritious food source, the elaiosome. They then discard the seeds in their “trash room” where the seeds may eventually sprout. This fascinating process is called myrmecochory.

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