Corydalis aurea Willd.

• Authority

  Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

• Family

  Papaveraceae

• Scientific Name

  Corydalis aurea Willd.

• Description

  Species Description - Prostrate-ascending annual or biennial, 2–5 dm, the stems sympodial; racemes dense, 1–3 cm, often surpassed by the upper lvs; bracts lanceolate; sep broadly ovate, 1.5–2 mm, erose; cor bright yellow, 13–16 mm, incl. the 4–5 mm spur; outer pet folded distally along the median line into a conspicuous but wingless keel; fr smooth, spreading or drooping, 1.5–2.5 cm; seeds ca 2 mm wide, with a narrow ring-margin; 2n=16. Rocky banks or sandy soil; Que. to Alas., s. to Pa., Mich., n. Ill., and Minn., and widespread in w. U.S. May–July. Our plants are var. aurea; var. occidentalis Engelm., often attr. to our range (as C. montana Engelm.) is more southwestern.

• Common Names

  golden corydalis