阿墩紫堇 a dun zi jin

Corydalis spinulosa H. Chuang.

Herbs, perennial, (5-)10-20(-30) cm tall; stems and petioles of radical leaves attenuate to filiform underground base. Storage roots numerous, fascicled, narrowly spindle-shaped, 1-5 cm, 2-4 mm thick, attenuate to base. Stems few to several, simple, with 2 alternate or subopposite leaves in upper 1/2. Radical leaves few; petiole 2-9 cm; blade glaucous abaxially, green-glossy adaxially, pinnate, 1-3 × 1-4 cm, abaxially nearly always with stiff 1-celled hairs along very prominent veins, sometimes with finer papillae along margin; pinnae 2 or 3 pairs, linear-lanceolate, 5-25 × 1-4 mm, entire. Cauline leaves subsessile; blade like radical leaves; pinnae lanceolate to linear, 7-20 × 1-4 mm. Raceme 1.5-3 cm, 6-13-flowered; lower bracts lanceolate, entire or usually deeply 5-7-divided to deeply pectinate-dentate, upper bracts less divided. Pedicel 10-12 mm, stout, recurved in fruit. Sepals whitish, 0.2-0.5 × 1(-2) mm, dentate. Petals sky blue, purple, or yellow; upper petal navicular-ovate, 15-17 mm, abaxial crest 1-1.5 mm wide; spur straight or apically slightly downcurved, slightly tapering to apex; nectary 1/2-2/3 as long as spur; lower petal 7-9 mm; inner petals 6-8 mm. Stigma square, rather broad; simple marginal papillae: median 2 distinct, lateral broad and indistinct; geminate papillae lateral (submarginal) and in basal corners. Capsule narrowly elliptic, 4-7 mm, 3-6-seeded. Seeds ca. 1 mm; caruncle small. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.

● Among shrubs, grasslands on slopes, alpine meadows; 3900-5000 m. S Qinghai (Nangqên), W Sichuan, E Xizang, NW Yunnan.

This species is very variable, usually yellow, but purple and blue forms occur. It is similar to Corydalis eugeniae but with very different roots and smaller flowers. As here circumscribed, it is possibly heterogeneous. The form from Nangqên is very slender and lacks the coarse hairs on veins abaxially, but it agrees with C. atuntsuensis in the long storage roots without distinct stalks.

Specimens that are apparently intermediate between this species and Corydalis mayae might be encountered in NW Yunnan.