Corydalis tibetica Hook. fil. & Thomson, Fl. Ind. 1: 265 (1855) (syn: Capnoides tibetica Kuntze; Corydalis pseudocrithmifolia Jafri);
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W. China to W. Himalaya: Tibet, West Himalaya, Xinjiang as per POWO;
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Diffuse perennial herbs, slender, glaucous or slightly fleshy, glabrous or subpilose grandular, about 5-20 cm tall. Stem usually simple or branched, slender, usually leafless or rarely single leaved, later developing shoot in its axil. Root stocks thick, elongated, branched crowned with dense withered straw-like, dry shiny petiole bases. Radical leaves many, linear oblong or lanceolate in outline, base vaginate, including the petiole, about 5-20 x 1.5-3 cm across, petiole about 2-5 cm long, bi or subtripinnatisect, 4-5 jugate, with 5-9, lanceolate-ovate shaped lateral and terminal pinnae, about 10-25 mm long, terminal pinnae larger than the lateral pinnae and densely lobulate, margin erose, petiolules subsessile to sessile, ultimate segments linear-oblong to linear-obovate, base cuneate, apex acute with mucronate tip about 4-10 x 1-2 mm long. Cauline leaves if present similar to radical leaves but smaller, petioles shortly stalked. Inflorescence simple raceme, lax, terminal, hardly exceeding the radical leaves, about 3-10 flowered, dense, about 2-4 cm long, becoming elongated in fruit, rarely branched below, peduncles scabrid pilose, bracts lanceolate, upper ones margins entire, lower ones divided, about 8-15 x 2-2.5 mm long. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, yellow tipped with brown to green, about 1.5-2 cm long, pedicels 5-25 mm long, deflexed, elongated in fruit, sepals 2, whitish green, margin fimbriate dentate, apex rounded, about 2 x 1 mm across, petals 4, outer series dissimilar, upper petal spurred near apex, dorsally winged till the spur, margin slightly denticulate, apex acute, spur slender, slightly curved downwards, about 8-10 mm long, lower petal somewhat similar to the upper petals, base subsaccate. Stamens 6, in 2 bundles, anthers dimorphous. Ovary unilocular, hypogynous, ovules many, style filiform, about 4-5 mm long, stigmas dilated, squarish, stalked with 4 papillae. Fruits capsules, oblong-obovoid, about 7-9 x 2.5-3 mm across, dehiscing when mature by tumid or inflated valves, with persistent style. Seeds 4-10, biseriate, papillose, about 1.5-2 mm across, shining black.
Northwest Alpine Himalayas, altitude 4000-5100 m.
(Attributions: IBIS Flora (FBI))
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For Id 100722 JM3: 2 images.
On the way from Pangong Tso (14000 ft.) to Chang La (17600 ft) on 18.6.22 near to Chang La, in Ladakh.
Seen alongside the road, towards the rocks.
Any idea about the genus?
Corydalis stricta Steph. ex DC.??
Yes …, C. tibetica looks closest.
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References:
POWO specimen Catalogue of Life BSI Flora of India Flora of China FOC illustration Flora of Pakistan FOP illustration India Biodiversity Portal IBIS Flora (FBI)
