Corydalis sibirica auct. non (Linn.) Pers.: Hook. f. & Thoms.
Weak and delicate perennial, 20-40 (-60) cm long, sparsely branched, glabrous, almost glaucous, with slender, often branched and thin rootstock. Leaves thin, submembranous, ternate with 3 (-5) pinnae; each pinnae ovate to suborbicular deeply dissected with petioluled lobes; lower leaves long stalked, 10-20 cm long, (2) 3-6 cm broad, terminating into 3 (-5) pinnae; each pinnae again ternate into 3 lobes; lobes suborbicular, 1-2 cm in diam., and again deeply dissected into lobules or ultimate segments; lobules obovate-oblong or oblong, (2-) 4-10 (-15) mm long, 1-3 (-5) mm broad, apex subrounded; petiolules filiform, up to 10 mm long. Racemes short, simple, terminating the branches, 3-10 -flowered, often subcorymbose with lower pedicels longer than the upper ones, becoming lax in fruit, 2-5 cm long; bracts leafy, lower much segmented, upper almost entire and small. Flowers small, 10-12 mm long, yellow, slightly vertical; spur short conic, slightly upcurved or straight, slightly shorter than the lamina of the upper petal. Sepals 2.5-3 mm long, ovate-orbicular with much lacinate or dissected margin. Upper petal hooded at the apex but without a dorsal wing, acute or minutely acuminate; lower petal slightly saccate at the base and apex similar as that of upper petal. Capsule oblong-obovate or oblong, 6-10 mm long, 2-3.5 mm broad, ± deflexed on equally long or longer pedicel, 6-10-seeded; style short, 1.5-2 mm long, curved at apex with broad stigma; seeds 1.5-2 mm in diam., sub-biseriate to biseriate, shining black.
Fl.Per.: June-Aug.
Type: Nepal, Himalaya, Wallich (K-W, G).
Distribution: Throughout the Himalayas.
A delicate species differing from Corydalis sibirica (L.) Pers. by its narrow oblong leaf lobules (ultimate segments) submembranous in texture, longer and much dissected sepals and pedicels often 15-18 mm long in lower flowers and fruits.
Closely related to Corydalis vaginans Royle but laxly branched and leaved, with leaf segmentation different, sepals larger, spur conical and slightly shorter than the lamina of the upper petal.
