Corydalis sect. Ellipticarpae in Flora of China @ efloras.org

39. Corydalis sect. Ellipticarpae Z. Y. Su, Fl. China. 7: 416. 2008.

椭果紫堇组 tuo guo zi jin zu

Type: Corydalis ellipticarpa C. Y. Wu & Z. Y. Su, Acta Bot. Yunnan. 11: 311. 1989.

Herbae perennes. Petiolis foliorum rosularum ad basin valde carnosi. Foliola dentata. Bracteae divisae. Flores magni flavi vel purpurei. Petala exteriora acuta. Capsulae e pedicellis erectis reflexae, ellipsoideae usque obovoideae eruptione dehiscentes.

Herbs, perennial. Rhizome apically with leaf rosette with prominent bulblike base formed by very fleshy petiolar bases, turning black when dry. Late rosette leaves large, persistent long after flowering. Leaflets dentate. Bracts divided. Flowers yellow or purple, rarely white, large, acute, with spur tapering to apex (except in Corydalis acuminata), with or without crest. Capsule reflexed from straight pedicel, ellipsoid to obovoid, explosively dehiscent.

● Six species.

Species nos. 328-331 form a complex, here divided by flower color, but the variation is reticulate (see under Corydalis ellipticarpa).

The sectional epithet is derived from the specific epithet of Corydalis ellipticarpa.

1 Spur cylindric; corolla purple; upper petal 15-20 mm; capsule elliptic to oblong, 15-20 mm. 333 C. acuminata

+ Spur tapering to tip; corolla purple or yellow; upper petal 27-33 mm; capsule broadly obovoid, shorter (2)

2 (1) Outer petals without crest; corolla purple, rarely white. 328 C. quantmeyeriana

+ Outer petals crested or rarely without crest, but then flowers yellow (3)

3 (2) Corolla yellow, often turning dull purplish with age. 329 C. ellipticarpa

+ Corolla purple (4)

4 (3) Spur of upper petal ca. 1.5 × longer than limb, with thin apex. 332 C. jingyuanensis

+ Spur of upper petal equaling limb (5)

5 (4) Sepals 1-2 × 1-2 mm. 330 C. brunneovaginata

+ Sepals 6-8 × 4-5 mm. 331 C. pycnopus

Lower Taxa