''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' " crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

plants in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Papaveraceae,

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to the

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical eastern Africa. They are most diverse in China and the Himalayas, with at least 357 species in China.

Ecology

''Corydalis'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species (butterflies), especially the clouded Apollo.

Toxicity

''Corydalis cava'' and some other tuberous species contain the

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

bulbocapnine Bulbocapnine is an alkaloid found in ''Corydalis'' (notably the European species C. cava) and ''Dicentra'', genera of the plant family Fumariaceae which have caused (notably the American species ''Corydalis caseana'') the fatal poisoning of sheep ...

, which is occasionally used in medicine but scientific evidence is lacking in the correct dosages and side effects. Many of the species in ''Corydalis'' contain other toxins and alkaloids like

canadine (''S'')-Canadine, also known as (''S'')-tetrahydroberberine and xanthopuccine, is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA), of the protoberberine structural subgroup, and is present in many plants from the family Papaveraceae, such as '' Corydalis yan ...

, which blocks

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to ...

. The species ''C. caseana'' is poisonous to livestock.

Taxonomy

Current species

There are about 470 species, including: * ''

Corydalis ambigua ''Corydalis ambigua'' is a tuberous early flowering east Asian flowering plant species in the poppy family Papaveraceae. Its exact native range is obscure due to taxonomic confusion. It is one of the sources of the drug tetrahydropalmatine. Che ...

'' * ''

Corydalis aurea ''Corydalis aurea'' (scrambled eggs, golden smoke, golden corydalis) is a flowering plant in the poppy family (Papaveraceae), native to North America. A winter annual, it can be found in such areas as the sagebrush steppe. The root is a branch ...

'' * ''

Corydalis buschii ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical easte ...

'' * ''

Corydalis bracteata ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical easte ...

'' * ''

Corydalis cava ''Corydalis cava'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to moist, shady, woodland habitats throughout most of mainland Europe, although commonest in central and southeast Europe. Its range extends from Spain in the w ...

'' * ''

Corydalis caseana ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical easte ...

'' * ''

Corydalis cheilanthifolia ''Corydalis cheilanthifolia'', the fern-leaved corydalis or fern-leaf corydalis, is a perennial growing from rhizomes, native to western and central China. Description Leaves are shaped like lipfern ('' Cheilanthes''), for which the plant is ...

'' – ferny corydalis * ''

Corydalis chelidoniifolia ''Corydalis chelidoniifolia'' is a flowering plant in the poppy family ''Papaveraceae The Papaveraceae are an economically important family of about 42 genera and approximately 775 known species of flowering plants in the order Ranunculales ...

'' * ''

Corydalis darwasica ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical eastern ...

'' * ''

Corydalis elegans ''Corydalis elegans'' () is a species of plant in the family Papaveraceae The Papaveraceae are an economically important family of about 42 genera and approximately 775 known species of flowering plants in the order Ranunculales, informally ...

'' * ''

Corydalis filistipes ''Corydalis filistipes'' is perennial flowering plant found only on Ulleung Island in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The grows to a height of and the tuber diameter ...

'' * ''

Corydalis flavula ''Corydalis flavula'' (yellow fumewort, yellow harlequin, fume-root, yellow fumitory; syn. ''Capnoides flavulum'' (Raf.) Kuntze, ''Fumaria flavula'' Raf.) is an herbaceous perennial plant native to the eastern United States. Its natural habita ...

'' * '' Corydalis flexuosa'' * ''

Corydalis heterocarpa ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical eastern ...

'' * ''

Corydalis incisa ''Corydalis incisa'', incised fumewort, is an annual or biennial herbaceous species of plant in the poppy family. It is also known as purple keman or murasa-kike-man. Some authorities report it in the family Fumariaceae. The wildflower is nat ...

'' * ''

Corydalis integra ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical eastern ...

'' * ''

Corydalis linstowiana ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' " crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical ea ...

'' * ''

Corydalis micrantha ''Corydalis micrantha'' is a species of flowering plant in the poppy family (Papaveraceae The Papaveraceae are an economically important family of about 42 genera and approximately 775 known species of flowering plants in the order Ranuncul ...

'' * ''

Corydalis nobilis ''Corydalis nobilis'', the Siberian corydalis, is a perennial plant native to Siberia, Xinjiang and Kazakhstan. It was introduced to Europe by Linnaeus, who had asked his friend Erich Laxmann for seeds of '' Lamprocapnos spectabilis'' (old-fashio ...

'' * ''

Corydalis ochotensis ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' " crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical ea ...

'' * ''

Corydalis omeiana ''Corydalis omeiana'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to central Sichuan province of China. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-es ...

'' * ''

Corydalis orthoceras ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' " crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical ea ...

'' * ''

Corydalis palaestina ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical eastern ...

'' * ''

Corydalis pallida ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical eastern ...

'' * ''

Corydalis pauciflora ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical easter ...

'' * ''

Corydalis pauciovulata ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical easter ...

'' * ''

Corydalis rutifolia ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical eastern ...

'' * ''

Corydalis saxicola ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical easter ...

'' * ''

Corydalis scouleri ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' " crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical ea ...

'' * ''

Corydalis solida ''Corydalis solida'', fumewort or bird-in-a-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to moist, shady habitats in northern Europe and Asia. Growing to , it is a spring ephemeral, with foliage that appears in sprin ...

'' – fumewort * ''

Corydalis vittae ''Corydalis'' (from Ancient Greek, Greek ''korydalís'' "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual plant, annual and perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plant, plants in the family (biology), family P ...

'' * ''

Corydalis wilsonii ''Corydalis'' (from Greek ''korydalís'' " crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical ea ...

'' * ''

Corydalis yanhusuo ''Corydalis yanhusuo'' is a plant species in the genus ''Corydalis''. The Chinese name for ''Corydalis yanhusuo'' is ''yan hu suo'' (). The Japanese common name is engosaku (エンゴサク) and the Korean common name is hyeonhosaek (현호색). ...

'' Corydalis ambigua.jpg, ''Corydalis ambigua'' Corydalis aurea flowers1.jpg, Golden smoke (''Corydalis aurea'') Corydalis buschii - (kiurunkannus), (nunneört), Buschi lõokannus C IMG 7699.JPG, ''Corydalis buschii'' Corydalis bracteata 01.JPG, ''Corydalis bracteata'' Corydaliscaseana.jpg, ''Corydalis caseana'' Corydalis cava a1.jpg, ''Corydalis cava'' Corydalis-cheilanthifolia-habitus.jpg, Ferny corydalis (''Corydalis cheilanthifolia'') Corydalis chelidoniifolia-IMG 4187.jpg, ''Corydalis chelidoniifolia'' Corydalis flavula - Yellow Fumewort.jpg, ''Corydalis flavula'' Corydalis flexuosa 'China Blue' 4.JPG, ''Corydalis flexuosa'' Corydalis heterocarpa var japonica 01.jpg, ''Corydalis heterocarpa'' Corydalis integra.jpg, ''Corydalis integra'' Corydalis linstowiana.jpg, ''Corydalis linstowiana'' File:Corydalis nobilis.JPG, ''Corydalis nobilis'' Corydalis ochotensis 4.jpg, ''Corydalis ochotensis'' Corydalis orthoceras 070407a.JPG, ''Corydalis orthoceras'' Corydalis pallida var. tenuis 02.jpg, ''Corydalis pallida'' var. ''tenuis'' Corydalis pauciflora (6187015328).jpg, ''Corydalis pauciflora'' Corydalis pauciovulata 4.JPG, Seed pods of ''Corydalis pauciovulata'' File:Corydalis rutifolia 910421.jpg, ''Corydalis rutifolia'' Corydalis scouleri.jpg, ''Corydalis scouleri'' File:Corydalis solida 2 RF.jpg, ''Corydalis solida'' ბუჩქისძირა თეთრი Corydalis vittae weißer Lerchensporn.JPG, ''Corydalis vittae'' Corydalis wilsonii (Papaveracese) plant.jpg, ''Corydalis wilsonii''

Former species

Several former ''Corydalis'' have been moved to new genera: ; ''

Pseudofumaria ''Pseudofumaria'' is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants native to Europe, formerly included in the genus '' Corydalis''. There are two species: *'' Pseudofumaria alba'' (Mill.) Lidén ( syn. ''Corydalis ochroleuca'')northwest Balkans *'' P ...

'' * ''Corydalis lutea'' = ''

Pseudofumaria lutea ''Pseudofumaria lutea'' ( syn. ''Corydalis lutea''), the yellow corydalis or rock fumewort, is a short-lived perennial plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae. It is native to the southern foothills of the south-western and central Alps of Italy ...

'' – yellow corydalis * ''Corydalis ochroleuca'' = ''

Pseudofumaria alba ''Pseudofumaria alba'' (pale corydalis or white corydalis) is a short-lived perennial plant in the family Papaveraceae The Papaveraceae are an economically important family of about 42 genera and approximately 775 known species of flowerin ...

'' ; ''

Capnoides ''Capnoides sempervirens'', the harlequin corydalis, rock harlequin, pale corydalis or pink corydalis, is an annual or biennial plant native to rocky woodland and burned or disturbed places in northern North America. ''Capnoides sempervirens'' i ...

'' * ''Corydalis sempervirens'' = ''

Capnoides sempervirens ''Capnoides sempervirens'', the harlequin corydalis, rock harlequin, pale corydalis or pink corydalis, is an annual or biennial plant native to rocky woodland and burned or disturbed places in northern North America. ''Capnoides sempervirens'' i ...

References

External links

Medicinal plants Papaveraceae genera {{Ranunculales-stub