Photo by Jim Jung. All rights reserved.

Corydalis

All eight species of our local Corydalis are small, yellow, inconspicuous woodland wildflowers related to Dutchman's Breeches, Squirrel Corn and the cultivated Bleeding Hearts and they begin appearing in numbers in our woods very early in the spring. While the blooms in our area won't begin to appear until at least late February the plants send up their leaves to catch the late winter sunlight and convert it into food for the spring flowers and summer seeds. By July the plants will have vanished back into the forest floor to sleep away the hot, dry months of summer and fall.

Corydalis is one of the Papaveraceae (the Poppy Family) and produces opium-like compounds in its roots and leaves to deter herbivores from munching it into oblivion. During the early settlement period some pioneer physicians used preparations of the plant as a pain-killer, though this was quickly discontinued when it was discovered that the compounds the plant contains are toxic and probably carcinogenic in even small quantities (wanna-be herbalists take note!). Cattle, with a much higher tolerance for anti-herbivore compounds than humans, have been known to die from eating this plant.

Suggest a link! Send suggestions to Webmaster