Corydalis clarkei Prain

Similar to Corydalis elegans Wall. ex Hook. f.& Thoms., in its broad flowers but leaves dissimilar and differently disposed with lobules (ultimate segments) few, large, decurrent and acute (not orbicular or suborbicular and obtuse). Further-more Corydalis elegans seems to be strictly confined to Kumaon (N. W. Himalaya). Corydalis govaniana var. malukiana Jafri, reaches very near to this but flowers not so broad and racemes very condensed, broadly expanded.

Tufted and diffuse, short, robust perennial, 15-30 cm tall, glabrous, sub-glaucous; rootstock thick, densely covered with 2-5 cm long withered sheathing leaf bases; branched below, with branches elongated and twisted together. Radical leaves nearly as long as the stem, 4-5-jugately pinnate, petiolate, with petiole about as long as the lamina and conspicuously sheathing at base; pinnae very shortly petioluled to sessile, ovate, 15-30 mm long, often deeply 3-lobed; lobes again deeply to shallowly 1-3 lobuled; lobule (ultimate segment) up to 20 (-25) mm long, 3-5 mm broad, oblong to lanceolate, often decurrent, acute. Stem simple, usually with 4 cauline leaves in 2 subopposite pairs (sometimes alternate or opposite); cauline leaves similar to radical leaves but smaller, less lobed, shortly petioled to sessile or subsessile. Racemes dense, 20-30-flowered, simple or branched below, conspicuously large bracteate; bracts lanceolate to linear-elliptic, 10-25 mm long, (3-) 5-10 mm broad, acute, ± entire, veined. Flowers yellow, c. 20 mm long, 7-9 mm broad; spur robust, blunt, about half as long as the flower. Sepals c. 2 mm in diam., suborbicular, much dissected. Upper petal with a conspicuous broad and elongated dorsal wing with blunt or rounded apex; lower petal similar to the upper and conspicuously saccate at base. Pedicel 10-15 mm long, stout, deflexed, as long or longer than the short and broad capsule. Capsule obovate or broadly ellipsoid, 6-10 mm long, c. 4 mm broad, 6-8-seeded; style 3-5 mm long, curved at the apex with broad stigma; seeds biseriate, 1.5-2 mm in diam., shining black.

Distribution: Endemic to Kashmir.

Fl. Per. June-Aug.