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Corydalis (Greek korydalís "crested lark") is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the Papaveraceae family, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical eastern Africa. They are most diverse in China and the Himalayas, with at least 357 species in China.

Corydalis solida - Bois d'Havré (1).jpg
Corydalis solida
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Papaveraceae
Subfamily: Fumarioideae
Tribe: Fumarieae
Subtribe: Corydalinae
Genus: Corydalis
Type species
Corydalis bulbosa




Corydalis cava and some other tuberous species contain the alkaloid bulbocapnine, which is occasionally used in medicine but scientific evidence is lacking in the correct dosages and side effects.[1]

Many of the species in Corydalis contain other toxins and alkaloids like canadine, which blocks calcium.


Current speciesEdit

There are about 470 species, including:

Former speciesEdit

Several former Corydalis have been moved to new genera:



  1. ^ "CORYDALIS". WebMD. Retrieved 21 October 2014.

External linksEdit