Corydalis (from Greek korydalís "crested lark") is a genus of about 540 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical eastern Africa. They are most diverse in China and the Himalayas, with at least 357 species in China. Corydalis species are the only dicots having only a single cotyledon (seed leaf).
Ecology
Corydalis species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species (butterflies), especially the clouded Apollo.
Toxicity
Corydalis cava and some other tuberous species contain the alkaloid bulbocapnine, which is occasionally used in medicine but scientific evidence is lacking in the correct dosages and side effects.
Many of the species in Corydalis contain other toxins and alkaloids like canadine, which blocks calcium. The species C. caseana is poisonous to livestock.
Taxonomy
Current species
There are about 540 species, including:
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- Corydalis ambigua
- Corydalis aurea
- Corydalis buschii
- Corydalis bracteata
- Corydalis cava
- Corydalis caseana
- Corydalis cheilanthifolia – ferny corydalis
- Corydalis chelidoniifolia
- Corydalis darwasica
- Corydalis elegans
- Corydalis filistipes
- Corydalis flavula
- Corydalis flexuosa
- Corydalis heterocarpa
- Corydalis incisa
- Corydalis integra
- Corydalis linstowiana
- Corydalis micrantha
- Corydalis nobilis
- Corydalis ochotensis
- Corydalis omeiana
- Corydalis orthoceras
- Corydalis palaestina
- Corydalis pallida
- Corydalis pauciflora
- Corydalis pauciovulata
- Corydalis rutifolia
- Corydalis saxicola
- Corydalis scouleri
- Corydalis solida – fumewort
- Corydalis vittae
- Corydalis wilsonii
- Corydalis yanhusuo
<gallery caption="Photos of Corydalis species listed above">
Corydalis ambigua.jpg|Corydalis ambigua
Corydalis aurea flowers1.jpg|Golden smoke (Corydalis aurea)
Corydalis buschii - (kiurunkannus), (nunneört), Buschi lõokannus C IMG 7699.JPG|Corydalis buschii
Corydalis bracteata 01.JPG|Corydalis bracteata
Corydaliscaseana.jpg|Corydalis caseana
Corydalis cava a1.jpg|Corydalis cava
Corydalis-cheilanthifolia-habitus.jpg|Ferny corydalis (Corydalis cheilanthifolia)
Corydalis chelidoniifolia-IMG 4187.jpg|Corydalis chelidoniifolia
Corydalis flavula - Yellow Fumewort.jpg|Corydalis flavula
Corydalis flexuosa 'China Blue' 4.JPG|Corydalis flexuosa
Corydalis heterocarpa var japonica 01.jpg|Corydalis heterocarpa
Corydalis integra.jpg|Corydalis integra
Corydalis linstowiana.jpg|Corydalis linstowiana
File:Corydalis nobilis.JPG|Corydalis nobilis
Corydalis ochotensis 4.jpg|Corydalis ochotensis
Corydalis orthoceras 070407a.JPG|Corydalis orthoceras
Corydalis pallida var. tenuis 02.jpg|Corydalis pallida var. tenuis
Corydalis pauciflora (6187015328).jpg|Corydalis pauciflora
Corydalis pauciovulata 4.JPG|Seed pods of Corydalis pauciovulata
File:Corydalis rutifolia 910421.jpg|Corydalis rutifolia
Corydalis scouleri.jpg|Corydalis scouleri
File:Corydalis solida 2 RF.jpg|Corydalis solida
ბუჩქისძირა თეთრი Corydalis vittae weißer Lerchensporn.JPG|Corydalis vittae
Corydalis wilsonii (Papaveracese) plant.jpg|Corydalis wilsonii
</gallery>
Former species
Several former Corydalis have been moved to new genera:
; Pseudofumaria
- Corydalis lutea = Pseudofumaria lutea – yellow corydalis
- Corydalis ochroleuca = Pseudofumaria alba
; Capnoides
- Corydalis sempervirens = Capnoides sempervirens