Beautiful corydalis is a golden-flowered East Asian plant rather than a U.S. native wildflower. Its dense flower spikes and dangling, beadlike seedpods make it easy to notice along moist woodland edges and roadsides in its home range.
Appearance
Appearance
This blue-green or short-lived perennial usually stands 8–24 in (20–60 cm) tall.
Leaves
The leaves are divided two or nearly three times into narrow pointed segments.
Flowers
A dense spike can hold 15–30 golden-yellow flowers, each with a rounded spur at the back.
Flowering time
In China, it can flower from April into September.
Fruit
The narrow pods hang downward and become slightly pinched between about ten seeds.
Where it lives
Typical habitats
forest edges
roadsides
streambanks
Range
It grows wild from the Russian Far East through China and Korea to northern and north-central Japan.
Preferred conditions
In its native range, it grows in moist open places from near sea level to about 1,640 ft (500 m).
Life cycle
Reproduction
It grows from seed and commonly flowers in its second year.
Name and classification
About the name
The species has a typical variety and another named for the Changbai Mountain region.