''Corydalis'' (from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''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 ...

plants Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

in the

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

Papaveraceae, native 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. Th ...

e of some Lepidoptera species (butterflies), especially the clouded Apollo.

Toxicity

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

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Th ...

bulbocapnine, 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, 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 t ...

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

Taxonomy

Current species

There are about 470 species, including: * '' Corydalis ambigua'' * '' Corydalis aurea'' * '' Corydalis buschii'' * '' Corydalis bracteata'' * '' Corydalis cava'' * '' Corydalis caseana'' * '' Corydalis cheilanthifolia'' – ferny corydalis * '' Corydalis chelidoniifolia'' * '' Corydalis darwasica'' * ''

Corydalis elegans ''Corydalis elegans'' () is a species of plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is found in India, China and the West Himalayas. References elegans Plants described in 1855 Taxa named by Thomas Thomson (botanist) Taxa named by Joseph Dalto ...

'' * '' Corydalis filistipes'' * ''

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 habit ...

'' * ''

Corydalis flexuosa ''Corydalis flexuosa'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Corydalis'', of the family Papaveraceae. It is a shade-loving perennial originating in woodland and mountainous areas of China. Growing to , in spring it produces masses of br ...

'' * ''

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 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 pauciovulata'' * ''

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 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'' – fumewort * '' Corydalis vittae'' * ''

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'' – yellow corydalis * ''Corydalis ochroleuca'' = '' Pseudofumaria alba'' ; ''

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' ...

'' * ''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