假北紫堇 jia bei zi jin

Replaced synonym: Corydalis sibirica (Linnaeus f.) Persoon subsp. elata Lidén, Rheedea 5: 16. 1995, not Corydalis elata Bureau & Franchet, J. Bot. (Morot) 5: 20. 1891.

Herbs, annual, 50-80 cm tall, glabrous, with tiny taproot. Stems suberect to diffuse, sharply ridged, leafy and branched especially above; accessory branches sometimes in upper part. Petiole long vaginate, 2-7 cm (shorter distally); blade triangular to ovate, 3-10 × 2-8 cm, bipinnate with leaflets deeply divided into obovate lobes. Racemes 6-15(-24)-flowered, subsecund; bracts narrowly lanceolate, acute, entire or lowermost divided, equaling pedicels. Pedicel 3-5 mm, strongly recurved in fruit. Corolla pale to bright yellow; outer petals often dentate, with a broad crest reaching beyond apex; spur of upper petal upwardly directed, triangular-obtuse, 2.5-4 mm, with nectary reaching ca. 1/2 way; inner petals 4-5 mm, dorsal crests overtopping apex; lower petal basally usually clearly saccate. Stigma with 4 apical papillae and a deep and narrow median sinus. Capsule obovoid, 6-8 × 2-4 mm with a sharply set off style 1.5-2 mm, 2-7-seeded. Seeds 1.3-1.5 mm, smooth or densely muricate (at least sometimes coexisting in a population). Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.

● Open forests and shrubs, rarely in scree; 3200-4100 m. SE Qinghai (Yushu), NW and WC Sichuan, E Xizang.

Plants in Qinghai do not have lower petal saccate.

The specific epithet means "false sibirica," from Greek ψευδής (pseudēs, "false").