Jessie Keith
Family
Fumariaceae
Botanical Name
Corydalis
Plant Common Name
Fumewort
General Description
Prized for their ferny foliage and their colorful clusters of elegant spurred flowers, these herbaceous perennials, biennials, and annuals are becoming increasingly popular in gardens. Found throughout the temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere, Corydalis encompasses a remarkable diversity of forms and flower colors. It is perhaps best known for C. flexuosa from central China, whose luminous sky-blue flowers on low to medium-sized plants have brought it almost instant celebrity. But most of the more than 400 other Corydalis do not share its azure blooms, instead bearing flowers of yellow, red, purple, white or other hues. Flowers are sometimes pleasingly fragrant. Plants may grow from scaly rhizomes (as in C. flexuosa), swollen roots, finely fibrous roots, taproots, long stolons, or tubers. Tuberous Corydalis – such as the long-popular C. solida – are spring ephemerals that are among the most important small garden "bulbs."
Two characteristics all Corydalis share: curious two-lipped flowers with tail-like spurs; and finely divided, pinnate leaves that provide an airy foil to the flowers. Most also have shiny black seeds with fat-rich appendages that attract ants.
These lovely plants also vary widely in their cultural needs. C. flexuosa and most other Corydalis from central China require cool, moist, well-drained positions and shade from hot sun, and often go dormant in summer and remain in leaf through winter. Tuberous Corydalis from the woodlands of Europe or eastern Asia do best in partial shade and humus-rich, well-drained soil; those from drier, more open habitats in Central Asia require sun and sharply drained soil. The tough and cheerful C. lutea (also known as Pseudofumaria lutea) does well in most garden settings, sometimes self-sowing to the point of invasiveness.
Tuberous Corydalis are perfect for massing or as specimens in woodlands, shady borders, or troughs and rock gardens. Other Corydalis make good subjects for a variety of gardens settings, depending on their characteristics and requirements.
