Herbs, perennial, from orange, yellow, or pale brown, slender rhizomes 0.5-2 mm thick. Leaves basal, petiolate. Leaf blade 1-2-ternately compound, 1-2-pinnately compound, or deeply divided; leaflets ovate or triangular, lobed or parted, margins sharply serrate to denticulate. Inflorescences scapose, 1-4-flowered cymes, to 3 cm (9 cm in fruit); bracts absent. Flowers bisexual and staminate (all bisexual in C. trifoliata), radially symmetric; sepals not persistent in fruit, 5-7, green to white, plane, linear-lanceolate, oblanceolate to obovate or elliptic, occasionally clawed, 4.2-11 mm; petals 5-7, distinct, green, plane or concave distally, either clavate with adaxial nectary at apex or linear with adaxial nectary near base, clawed, 2-7 mm; stamens 10-60; filaments filiform; staminodes absent between stamens and pistils; pistils 4-15, simple; ovules 4-10 per pistil; style present. Fruits follicles, aggregate, stipitate, forming umbel-like clusters, oblong to ellipsoid, sides not veined; beak present or absent, terminal, straight or apically hooked, 0-4 mm. Seeds dark brown to tan, ellipsoid, shiny, often appearing wrinkled. x=9.

Distribution

Temperate and boreal regions of North America and Asia.

Discussion

Species ca. 10 (4 in the flora).

Selected References

Fernald, M. L. 1929. Coptis trifolia and its eastern American representative. Rhodora 31: 136-142.

Hultén, E. 1937. Flora of the Aleutian Islands and Westernmost Alaska Pensinsula with Notes on the Flora of Commander Islands.... Stockholm.

Lower Taxa

Coptis aspleniifolia, Coptis laciniata, Coptis occidentalis, Coptis trifolia

Key

1	Leaflets unlobed or slightly lobed, ± sessile; sepals oblanceolate to obovate or elliptic; nectary near apex of petal; follicle body 3.9–7 mm; beak straight to ascending in fruit, 2–4 mm.	Coptis trifolia
1	Leaflets deeply lobed or pinnatifid, short- to long-petiolulate; sepals linear-lanceolate; nectary near base of petal; follicle body 7–13.5 mm; beak recurved in fruit, less than 1 mm.	> 2
2	Leaf blade 2-pinnate with pinnatifid leaflets, to 3-pinnate or occasionally 2-ternate; coastal British Columbia to Alaska.	Coptis aspleniifolia
2	Leaf blade (1–)2-ternate; sw Washington s to California, e to Montana.	> 3
3	Flowers nodding; leaf blade 2-ternate or ternate with leaflets lobed almost to base; coastal Washington to California.	Coptis laciniata
3	Flowers erect; leaf blade ternate with leaflets lobed ca. 1/2 length to base; Rocky Mountains of Washington, Idaho, and Montana.	Coptis occidentalis