The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

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

pale corydalis, short-spur corydalis, yellow corydalis, yellow fumewort

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

1 or more, mostly 5-10 dm.

1-several, initially erect, often becoming prostrate or ascending, usually 1.5-3 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 elliptic, variable in size, 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, commonly 6-10-flowered, equaling or barely exceeding leaves, sometimes poorly developed, cleistogamous-flowered racemes present, inconspicuous, 1-5-flowered;

bracts elliptic, 6-12 × 3-7 mm, proximal bracts often leaflike or variously incised, distal reduced and entire.

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 slender, 6-15 mm or more;

sepals lanceolate, ca. 1 mm;

petals pale yellow, spurred petal 7-9 mm, spur incurved, ca. 2 mm, crest high, marginal wing well developed, both crest and wing wrinkled or dentate, unspurred outer petal similar to spurred petal, 6-8 mm;

inner petals 5-7 mm, blade apex ca. 2 times wider than distinctly lobed base, claw 2-3 mm; nectariferous spur less than 1/2 length of petal spur;

style 1.5-2 mm;

stigma wider than long, with 4 terminal papillae.

Capsules

reflexed, obovoid, 10-15 × 4-5 mm.

pendent, linear, straight or sometimes reflexed, (14-)18-20(-22) mm.

Seeds

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

ca. 2 mm diam., minutely decorated on narrow marginal ring.

2n

= ca. 130.

Corydalis scouleri

Corydalis flavula

Phenology Flowering mid spring–early summer. Flowering early–late spring.
Habitat Moist, shady woods, particularly along streams Wooded slopes, bottomlands, and rock outcrops, in moist, loose soil
Elevation 0-1100 m (0-3600 ft) 0-650 m (0-2100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV; ON
[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.)

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. crystallina, C. curvisiliqua, C. micrantha, C. pauciflora, C. scouleri, C. sempervirens
Synonyms Fumaria flavula, Capnodes flavulum
Name authority Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 36, plate 14. (1829) (Rafinesque) de Candolle: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 1: 129. (1824)
Web links