Corydalis curvisiliqua (A. Gray) A. Gray subsp. curvisiliqua, curvepod corydalis, scrambled eggs. Annual (biennial), fleshy taprooted, conspicuously rosetted, 1—several–stemmed at base, with decumbent to ascending axillary shoots each having a terminal inflorescence, in range 15—40 cm tall in fruit; shoots with dissected basal leaves and cauline leaves, glabrous, glaucous; latex colorless.
Stems angled, to 5 mm diameter; stems aging hollow.
Leaves helically alternate, 2—3(—4)–pinnately compound and dissected, basal leaves to 180 mm long, petiolate, without stipules; petiole slender, flat on upper side, to 85 mm long, angular and finely 5–ridged; primary leaflets alternate along grooved axis, secondary leaflets and major lobes ± obovate with 2—6 sublobes and sinuses mostly below midpoint, ultimate lobes obovate to oblong or ovate, rounded to obtuse with minute point at tip, midvein of each lobe or sublobe not median and not conspicuous to tip, dull and glaucous.
Inflorescence raceme, terminal, erect to ascending, in range to 20–flowered, bracteate, glabrous, ± glaucous; rachis with faint ridge descending from each bractlet; bractlets subtending pedicel dimorphic, at the lowest node leaflike with petiole and compound + dissected blade < 20 mm long, other bractlets simple, sessile and to 3/4 sheathing, narrowly acute–ovate, to 13 × 4.5 mm decreasing upward, glaucous and gray–green especially on lower surface, margins subentire and wavy, with colorless vesicles on margins and along midrib on lower surface, persistent; pedicel cylindric, 3—3.5 mm long, enlarged approaching flower.
Flower bisexual, bilateral, ca. 5.5 mm across (= spreading upper petal), ± horizontal, appearing attached at midpoint on lower side of flower, spurred with spur backward–oriented toward axis and flower orifice facing outward; corolla in young bud concealed by bractlet, with reddish, boatlike pouch (keel) on each outer petal on upper and lower sides of flower; sepals 2, opposite, appressed to lower side of flower oriented toward flower tip, acuminate–ovate, in range 1.2—1.5 × 1—1.2 mm, white and greenish and sometimes having a purplish midstripe above midpoint, minutely dentate with several teeth on margins; persistent and attached above base with short fringe covering top of pedicel; petals 4, opposite decussate, heteromorphic, of 2 bright yellow outer petals and 2 pale yellow inner petals, lower outer petal free to base, upper outer petal with backward–pointing saclike spur while upper portion fused to claws of inner 2 petals ca. 4 mm, inner 2 petals limbs fused only at tip; upper outer petal in range 20—25 mm long with spur 7—9 mm long, and outward–facing limb to 16 mm long, limb sigmoid in outline with horizontal, expanded 6 mm at top, terminal portion with boat–shaped pouch (rounded over keel) and sharply folded on limb having a 2 mm edge, lower portion of limb somewhat cupped–rectangular with two bends, pouch reddish especially before anthesis; lower outer petal to 15 mm long, with rectangular lower portion ca. 2.5 mm wide and terminal portion similar to but narrower than upper petal; inner petals equal, ca. 11 mm long, claw ca. 4 mm long, slender, and yellow, upper portion lobed at base (auriculate) and oblong–oblanceolate inflated with creases and folds on the outer surface, on the inside flat with edge winglike and greenish, where anthers and stigmas positioned petal tissue yellow; spur of upper outer petal having an expanded, 4 mm long, nectar–containing tip and narrowly funnel–shaped tube above, expanded tip to 3 mm high and compressed side–to–side with dimples, inside 4 mm from tip on the upper side having a backward–pointing, green, snakehead–shaped nectary gland; stamens 6 in 2 sets of 3, opposite outer petals and hidden within inner petals; each set of stamens fused nearly to tip into a colorless strip ca. 9 mm long, below midpoint narrowly elliptic and to 1.8 mm wide, above midpoint narrowly tapered and channeled and narrowing to 0.2 mm, pale yellow–green to nearly colorless and 3–veined, short 3–lobed at top; anthers basifixed, dithecal, 0.9—1.1 mm long, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen copious, colorless; pistil 1, at anthesis linear curving upward, ca. 10 mm long and 1 mm < inner petals; ovary superior, 3–sided and flat on upper side, 5—6 × 0.6 mm, green and glaucous, 1–chambered with many ovules along 2 placentae projecting from outer wall; style cylindric, colorless outer tissue with green core; stigma 2–lobed, vertically oriented, and flattened side–to–side, to 1.3 mm across and 0.4—0.5 mm high, with lens–shaped green core and whitish margins.
Fruit capsule, dehiscent from tip by 2 valves splitting from persistent placentae (replum), 30+–seeded, linear gently curving upward and 4–sided, 25—34 × 3 mm, light brown to tan–brown, conic at tip with beak; beak slender, to 3 mm long.
Seed lens–shaped, ca. 2 × 2 × 1 mm, initially white aging black; densely short–papillate with spheroid papillae occurring in fine concentric circles on seed coat faces and around seed; aril (elaiosome) half cup–shaped, extending to midpoint of seed, transparent and colorless.
A. C. Gibson