椭果紫堇 tuo guo zi jin

Corydalis squamigera Z. Y. Su.

Herbs, perennial, 20-40 cm tall, glabrous. Rhizome with apical leaf rosette from large bulb formed by very fleshy reddish brown scales and petiolar bases, 15-25 × 15-20 mm. Stems axillary from last year’s bulb scales, erect, simple, with 1 or 2 leaves, usually in upper 1/3 of stem. Rosette leaves large (early ones smaller but early withering); petiole 8-20 cm; blade glaucous on both surfaces, more so abaxially, broadly triangular, bi- to triternate, 5-10 × 5-15 cm; pinnae long petiolulate; pinnules petiolulate or nearly sessile, shortly decurrent, twice ternatisect into ovate to oblong or lanceolate acute to obtuse lobules, often again shallowly cut at apex. Cauline leaves like radical but much smaller and less divided. Raceme 8-14-flowered, first dense then distant; bracts elliptic, shortly stalked, deeply pectinate dentate, 10-20 mm, lower to 30 mm; upper bracts often entire. Pedicel erect, straight, 8-15 mm, to 20 mm in fruit. Sepals minute or to 2 mm, dentate. Flowers yellow or pale yellow, turning dull purplish with age, soon nodding; outer petals ecristate or narrowly to broadly crested, (23-)27-33 mm, acute to shortly acuminate; spur downcurved at tip, conical, (10-)14-18 mm; nectary 1/3-1/2 as long as spur; lower petal navicular, 15-18 mm, base usually with very conspicuous broad sac; inner petals not recorded. Stigma square, marginal papillae 6-8; geminate papillae lateral and on tips of short basal lobes. Capsule elliptic, 10-14 × 4-6 mm, to 20-seeded. Fl. and fr. May-Jun.

● Understories of Picea forests; 2000-3700 m. S Gansu, N Sichuan.

This is a variable species. The following forms may be recognized and might deserve recognition as separate taxa. The geographic distribution of the forms needs further study.

Type A. Sepals ca. 2 mm. Spur clearly longer than rest of petal; nectary ca. 1/2 as long as spur; lower petal not saccate; crest present, but not very broad and not overtopping apex. S Gansu, N Sichuan.

Type B. Sepals minute. Spur not or only slightly longer than limb; nectary ca. 1/3 as long as spur; lower petal broadly and deeply saccate; outer petals ecristate or almost so. N Sichuan (Barkam).

Type C (Corydalis ellipticarpa s.str.). Sepals 1-2 mm. Spur not or only slightly longer than limb; nectary ca. 1/2 as long as spur; lower petal broadly and deeply saccate; outer petals with short broad crest. N Sichuan (Jinshuan, Maoxian, Xiaojin).