Corydalis curvisiliqua

Plants winter annual or perhaps biennial, glaucous, from somewhat succulent roots. Stems 1-several, erect to ascending, 1-4 dm. Leaves compound; blade with 2-3 orders of leaflets and lobes; ultimate lobes oblong, elliptic, or obovate, margins sometimes incised, apex obtuse or rounded. Inflorescences racemose, 6-18-flowered, primary racemes usually exceeding leaves, more numerous than secondary, fewer-flowered racemes; bracts ovate, to 15 × 6 mm, proximal bracts sometimes leaflike, distal usually slightly to greatly reduced. Flowers spreading, often strongly curved; pedicel stout, 1-3 mm; sepals ovate to attenuate-ovate, ca. 1 mm, margins often sinuate or dentate; petals bright yellow; spurred petal 15-18 mm, spur not appreciably incurved, 7-9 mm, apex blunt, somewhat globose, crest well developed to absent, wrinkled or dentate, marginal wing well developed, unspurred outer petal bent, 12-15 mm, crest similar to that of spurred petal; inner petals oblanceolate, 9-12 mm, claw slender, nearly 1/2 petal length; nectariferous spur clavate, 4-6 mm, bent near apex; style ca. 5mm; stigma rectangular, 2-lobed, 1/2 as long as wide, with 8 papillae. Capsules erect, linear, slender, straight to strongly incurved, 20-35 mm. Seeds ca. 2 mm diam., appearing distinctly roughened or faintly reticulate under magnification, marginal ring present or essentially absent.

Distribution

c United States.

Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Corydalis curvisiliqua subsp. curvisiliqua, Corydalis curvisiliqua subsp. grandibracteata

Key

1	Capsules mostly 25–35 mm, usually abruptly acute at apex; petals with no or only moderately developed crest; seeds appearing distinctly reticulate under magnification.	Corydalis curvisiliqua subsp. curvisiliqua
1	Capsules mostly 20–25 mm, attenuate to apex; petals with well-developed crest; seeds appearing only faintly reticulate under magnification.	Corydalis curvisiliqua subsp. grandibracteata