This plant, greater celandine, grows in the hedgerow near the Stockton Road entrance to the Science Site, just across the road from the site of the new gateway Building. Unlike the familiar lesser celandine which is a member of the buttercup family, greater celandine is a member of the poppy family and like opium poppies bleeds latex if it's damaged ..... but in this case the latex is bright orange.
Greater celandine is an uncommon plant in County Durham and is usually found close to human habitation. It has a long history of use in herbal medicine, when its caustic latex was used to treat warts, and the plants growing on the Science Site are probably garden escapes.
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