匍匐茎紫堇 pu fu jing zi jin

Type: China. Sichuan: Shimian Xian, on the road from Jiziping to Xishan, 29°04′N, 102°11′E, forest margin, in and at the sides of small brook, alt. 3000 m, 31 Jul 2007, M. Lidén, J. Van De Veire & J. P. Yue 2007-19 (holotype, UPS; isotypes, F, KUN).

Species nova ad gregem complexam Corydalis elatae pertinens, sed a speciebus (praeter C. susannae) gregis rhizomate valde elongato, stolonibus praedito atque capsula sublineari differt. A C. susannae sepalis minutioribus, petalis exterioribus angustioribus ecristatis differt.

Paratypes: M. Lidén, J. Van De Veire & J. P. Yue 2007-22 (KUN, UPS).

Herbs, perennial, 18-45 cm tall. Rhizome 1-3 cm, with several coarse roots, producing stolons 5-15 cm × ca. 1.5 mm, laxly branched, sparsely set with fleshy scales or petiolar bases, at intervals producing new dense growth with leaf rosette with dense fleshy scales and petiolar bases. Stems 1 or 2 per node, erect, with 2 or 3 leaves in upper 1/2, sometimes with a long-stalked leaf on lower part. Radical leaves since long withered at flowering nodes; petiole 3-7 cm; blade glaucous especially abaxially, 1-4 × 1-5 cm, ternate; leaflets shortly stalked, deeply ternatisect; lobes obovate, shallowly cut into obtuse to acute lobules. Cauline leaves shortly stalked to sessile, 1-5 × 2-6 cm, ternate; leaflets shallowly to deeply once to twice ternatisect into obovate to oblong, obtuse to acute lobes, progressively smaller and less divided upward. Racemes 7-21-flowered, 3-6 cm in flower, elongating to 5-10 cm in fruit; lower bracts like upper leaf, upper narrowly oblanceolate, 4-8 mm, entire. Pedicel erect, 8-20 mm. Sepals minute. Outer petals acuminate, without crest; upper petal 25-27 mm; spur almost straight or slightly downcurved, 13-14 mm, narrowly cylindric, 12-14 mm; lower petal with straight narrow claw and rhombic acuminate dentate limb; inner petals 10-11 mm. Capsule linear to narrowly fusiform, 16-21 × 1.5-2 mm, 7-10-seeded; style ca. 4 mm. Seeds subquadrangular, 1.4-1.6 mm, smooth, with deeply lobed elaiosome.

● Along streams in forests and clearings; 3000-3400 m. Sichuan (Shimian).

This species differs substantially from other species in the Corydalis elata group (species nos. 286-290) by its long stolons and long narrow capsules. It seems most closely related to the vegetatively similar C. susannae.

The specific epithet means "bearing stolons," referring to the habit of the plants, from Latin stolo ("stolon") and ferre ("to bear").