Corydalis duthiei var. sikkimensis Prain
Suberect or diffuse herbs, 10-25 (-30) cm tall, glabrous, subglaucous, with stem hardly exceeding the radical leaves; rootstock thick, slender, covered with withered sheathing leaf bases, often branched. Radical leaves 8-20 cm long, 1.5-3 cm broad, 2-3-pinnatisect, with 4-5 pairs of lateral pinnae (segments) and a terminal one; pinnae petioluled to subsessile, deeply usually 3-lobed with each lobe again 2-3-lobuled (ultimate segments) ; each lobule narrow, linear to oblong or oblong-obovate, distinct, 3-5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm broad, acute to subrounded at apex; cauline leaves usually 2-4 (rarely 1), often in sub-opposite pairs, similar but smaller than radical leaves. Racemes simple, 10-15-flowered, subcorymbose, 3-5 cm long, slightly lax; bracts 1-2 cm long, (3-) 5-12 mm broad, lower dissected to linearly segmented, upper subentire to entire, lanceolate to broadly elliptic. Flowers yellow, suberect to horizontal, lower becoming subvertical, 15-18 mm long, including spur nearly half as long, almost straight to conical. Sepal minute, c. 1 mm in diam., inconspicuous. Upper petal dorsally winged up to the base of lamina or tips of the spur, obtuse or subrounded at apex; lower petal similarly winged and subsaccate at base. Ovary oblong-obovate, c. 4 mm long, 1.5 mm broad, with style c. 3 mm long, curved at apex with broad stigma. Fruits c. 15 mm long, 5 mm broad.
Fl.Per.: July-Sept.
Type: Sikkim Himalaya, Tholong, very high near the snow, Dr. King’s Collector, J. n. 5 (K).
Distribution: Throughout Himalayas.
Apparently very close to the previous species, but leaf segments not so congested, slightly broader, bracts dissected to entire, flowers not so broadly winged. Differs from Corydalis duthiei Maxim. by its narrow and separated ultimate segments. It also reaches very close to Corydalis tibetica Hook. f. & Thoms. in its leaf segments and elongated dorsal wings of the upper petal, but spurs different and fruits also longer with short style.