CORYDALIS
(kor-RIDD-uh-liss)

We’re lucky to have 3 species of Corydalis (kor-RIDD-uh-liss) hiding amongst us in the St. Louis area. Click on their names to compare their photos (courtesy of MissouriPlants.com): 

• Corydalis aurea (Golden Corydalis or Scrambled Eggs)
• Corydalis flavula (Pale Corydalis or Yellow Fumewort)
• Corydalis micrantha (Smallflower Fumewort)

​These are very small plants with very small flowers.  Their leaves are somewhat similar to Dutchman’s Breeches. From a distance their peculiar yellow flowers look like little blobs of scrambled eggs.  Up close, each flower looks more like a skewered banana (but don’t eat it, Corydalis contains toxic alkaloids). Most of us walk past these little annuals without even noticing them.  But this week they’re on our Flower-Spotter list, so we’ve got  to notice them!

​Corydalis is now in the same Poppy Family as our “Bloodroot” and “Celandine Poppy”.  What?!  How can that be?  It’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, much less from the same family!  Actually, before 1998, Corydalis was indeed in a different family, the Fumariaceae , along with Dutchman’s Breeches and the beautiful garden plant “Bleeding Heart”. But DNA studies show that they’re all related. So now the whole bouquet (Bloodroot, Celandine Poppy, Dutchman’s Breeches, Squirrel Corn, Bleeding Heart, and the 3 Corydalis sisters) are trying to settle-in as one happy St. Louis family.

Not to cause trouble, but there’s a large insect in the St. Louis Area called a “Dobsonfly”. It’s genus name is “Corydalus” (with a “U” instead of an “I”). If a Corydalus lands on a Corydalis, we might as well just give up.

Flower Features of Corydalis

Week #1 (March 20-26)

Please protect the plants in our natural areas.
Locations where Corydalis might be found:
[BABL, CUIV, GLAS, GRAM, HAWN, LABQ, LITL, MERA, SHAW, STFR, VALV, WASH, WELD, YUNG]

Please click to see a list of all our St. Louis Papaveraceae plants.