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Scouler's corydalis, Scouler's fumewort, western corydalis

mealy corydalis, mealy fumewort

Habit Plants perennial, from large, fleshy rhizomes. Plants winter annual, glaucous, from somewhat succulent roots.
Stems

1 or more, mostly 5-10 dm.

1-several, erect or ascending, 2-4 dm.

Leaves

ca. 3, compound, 10 cm or more;

blade with 3 orders of leaflets and lobes; ultimate lobes broadly elliptic or less commonly ovate to obovate with rounded apex, sometimes narrowly elliptic with acute apex, 1-8 × 0.5-4 cm, minutely apiculate.

compound;

blade with 2 orders of leaflets and lobes; ultimate lobes lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, margins incised, apex subapiculate.

Inflorescences

axillary or terminal, racemose or paniculate, 15-35-flowered on primary axis;

bracts inconspicuous, proximal bracts narrowly elliptic, distal linear and much reduced.

racemose, (8-)12-15(-18)-flowered, primary racemes exceeding leaves, later secondary racemes fewer flowered, exceeded by leaves;

bracts ovate to ovate-acuminate, 5-12 × 3-6 mm, distal usually much reduced.

Flowers

erect;

pedicel 2-5 mm;

sepals caducous, ovate to broadly lanceolate, 1-2 mm, margins lacerate or dentate;

petals light to deep pink; spurred petal usually somewhat curved, 20-25 mm, spur lanceoloid, 14-20 mm, crest well developed, usually exceeding petal apices, marginal wing absent; unspurred outer petal boat-shaped, 12-15 mm;

inner petals not tipped deep red or purple, usually 9-11 mm, blade much wider at apex, claw slender, equaling blade in length; nectariferous spur 1/2-2/3 length of petal spur, bent or hooked at apex;

style ca. 3 mm;

stigma roughly triangular, with 2 apical and 2 lateral papillae.

erect;

pedicel stout, ca. 1 mm;

sepals broadly ovate to cordate, somewhat attenuate, to 2 mm, margins sometimes incised;

petals bright yellow; spurred petal 16-22 mm, spur straight, 6-8 mm, apex distinctly globose, crest very high, wrinkled or toothed, marginal wing very broad, revolute, unspurred outer petal 12-14 mm, marginal wing broad, not revolute, enclosing margins of spurred petal in bud;

inner petals oblanceolate, 9-11 mm, blade apex ca. 2 times wider than base, basal lobes small, claw narrow, 4-5 mm; nectariferous spur clavate, 3.5-5 mm, curved near apex;

style slender, ca. 4 mm;

stigma wider than long, with 8 papillae.

Capsules

reflexed, obovoid, 10-15 × 4-5 mm.

erect, linear, stout, straight to slightly incurved, 14-18 mm, with numerous basally pustulate whitish hairs or rarely glabrate.

Seeds

ca. 3.5 mm diam., with numerous small protuberances.

ca. 2 mm diam., minutely decorated, marginal ring absent.

2n

= ca. 130.

Corydalis scouleri

Corydalis crystallina

Phenology Flowering mid spring–early summer. Flowering mid-late spring.
Habitat Moist, shady woods, particularly along streams Prairies, fields, open woods, and wasteland
Elevation 0-1100 m (0-3600 ft) 10-500 m (0-1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; KS; MO; OK; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Corydalis scouleri is restricted to cool, wet habitats from northwestern Oregon northward to Vancouver Island. It is most easily distinguished from Corydalis caseana by the usually highly developed crests and absence of wings on its outer petals. The stigma is essentially triangular (versus rectangular in C. caseana), and the capsule shape (typically obovoid) is rarely approached in C. caseana.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

The peculiar pubescence of the capsules distinguishes Corydalis crystallina from all others in the genus. Also, the crest and marginal wing of the spurred petal are more highly developed than in any other yellow-flowered species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Fumariaceae > Corydalis Fumariaceae > Corydalis
Sibling taxa
C. aqua-gelidae, C. aurea, C. caseana, C. crystallina, C. curvisiliqua, C. flavula, C. micrantha, C. pauciflora, C. sempervirens
C. aqua-gelidae, C. aurea, C. caseana, C. curvisiliqua, C. flavula, C. micrantha, C. pauciflora, C. scouleri, C. sempervirens
Synonyms C. aurea var. (ß) crystallina
Name authority Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 36, plate 14. (1829) (Torrey & A. Gray) A. Gray: Manual ed. 5, 62. 186
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