Re: Corydalils lutea or flava

C. lutea only seeds around if it's happy and if it's not, it sort of
fades away.  Actually, all the species will seed around if they are
happy, so self-seeding is not a good way to key out Corydalis.

You probably do have C. solida...the colors vary considerably; some
are much lighter than others.  Some call them pastel and some call
them washed out:-)  Very good clones have darker flowers.

Here's a photo of a lighter version of C. solida

http://www.nlh.no/institutt/ipf/maanplant/april/Corydalis-solida-lite.
jpg

Here is C. lutea - flowers close up

http://montereybaynsy.com/C/corydalis%20lutea1.jpg

Here it is again - full plant

http://www.creativegardener.com/images/corydalis.jpg

Seems to me that C. lutea is one of the more common varieties.  I had
it for years and then it disappeared and I've gotten it again from
plant exchange.  Would not want to be without it.  I have found
seedlings, but generally close to the parent plant.  In my garden, it
has not proven a weedy child, but even if it did, in a woodland
garden, it makes a much better groundcover than creeping Charlie:-)

Here is C. flavula - I do not find a C. flava and think that may be a
corruption of the actual name flavula.  Its common name is pale
corydalis - you can see it is a lighter yellow than C. lutea, which
is a buttercup yellow; quite bright but not harsh.

http://biology.smsu.edu/Herbarium/Plants%20of%20the%20Interior%20Highl
ands/Flowers/Corydalis%20flavula.jpg

C. cheilanthifolia is said to have bronze foliage (evergreen in
milder climates) - very ferny and yellow flowers...

http://www.esveld.nl/htmldia/c/cochei.htm

There is also a C. aurea, scrambled eggs, which is native to the US -
most of these others come from China and other points far east.

http://plants.usda.gov/photos/coau2_1v.jpg

There's an annual with yellow flowers, Corydalis curvisiliqua Engelm.
ssp. curvisiliqua, curvepod fumewort, that is also a US native:

http://plants.usda.gov/photos/cocuc_2h.jpg 

Corydalis ochroleuca has white flowers, but it's a gem.  Gene raved
about it and sent me some and he was right...this one just keeps on
flowering like the energizer bunny...

http://caliban.mpiz-koeln.mpg.de/~stueber/mavica/part1/00461.jpg

Bill, I think your paler colored plant might be C. ophiocarpa

http://www.bluemount.com/images/Corydalis%20ophiocarpa.jpg

This image does the flowers more than justice..they are really a
rather dull, dirty white.  This one is a weed IMO...it comes from the
Himalayans and can go back there.  It's one of those plants that you
think, when it first starts growth...oh, how nice; lovely foliage.  
Then it just keeps on elongating and by the time the very
unimpressive flowers appear, it has fallen over and smothered
something small and neat next to it.  Seeds all over the map.  I keep
pulling and pulling and rue the day I put it in the garden.

I just got Corydalis sempervirens this spring and hope it will prove
happy for me...those cute bi-colored flowers just grabbed me.  Don't
mind if it does want to seed around.

Here's a photo if it:

http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/corydalissemp.html

I don't know if this is what you wanted, Chris....there are probably
even more but I've run out of gas on Corydalis...

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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> From: Christopher P. Lindsey <lindsey@mallorn.com>
> > Lutea does seed its self around,  I have about 100 seedlings
under my two 
> > plants right now.  Blooms all suumer into late fall.  Blue-green
foliage that 
> > is thick but not tall.
> 
> OK, now I'm thoroughly confused.
> 
> I have a Corydalis that I purchased as C. lutea, but it has never
self-seeded
> in my garden.  What's more, it seems to be shrinking each year.  I
thought
> that C. flava was the one that self-seeded, so I was content to
call mine
> C. lutea. 
> 
> Could someone who understands post a bulleted summary?  :)
> 
> I have another question about Corydalis, too.  My Mom and I each
have a
> plant that blooms in early April here (zone 5 USDA) and reaches
about 10"
> high or so.  The flowers are a rosy-pink with just the slightest
touch
> of lavender.  It goes dormant *very* early -- mine is already
starting
> to yellow and retreat.  Is this most likely C. solida?  I've looked
it
> up on the Web and feel that ours is defintely more pink...
> 
> It looks a lot like C. buschii:
> 
>    http://www.thealpinegarden.com/buschii.htm
> 
> but blooms way to early to be that.
> 
> I was thinking of C. incisa, but the leaves aren't that incised:
> 
>    http://www.rareplants.co.uk/corydali/incisa.htm
> 
> What about C. caucasica?
> 
>    http://www.rareplants.co.uk/corydali/caucasi.htm
> 
> I wish I had a photo to share.  But based on what I've said, can we
> cull some of these possibilities out?
> 
> Chris (who's off to bed)
> 
> http://www.hort.net/gallery/      2685 online plant photos and
growing!
> http://www.hort.net/gallery/date/2002-05-19/       The latest
additions
> 
>
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