Corydalis nobilis (Corydalis nobilis)
Description
Corydalis nobilis, the Siberian corydalis, is a perennial plant native to Siberia, Xinjiang and Kazakhstan. It was introduced to Europe by Linnaeus, who had asked his friend Erich Laxmann for seeds of Lamprocapnos spectabilis (old-fashioned bleeding heart), but was sent seeds of C. nobilis instead. Both Lamprocampnos and Corydalis are members of the Papaveraceae family, with seeds having an attached elaiosome that makes them attractive to ants, which disperse the seeds. C. nobilis bears its compact cymose inflorescence on a stem that can be as tall as 50 cm. The stem is upright. Leaves are pinnate. Its flowers are yellow or orange; inner petals have dark violet at the top. The individual flowers resemble small snapdragons. The seeds of C. nobilis typically have elaiosomes (a fatty body attached to the seed but not part of it, which can be eaten by ants without harming the seed within.) Seeds of C. nobilis are dispersed by ants, who carry seeds away to feed on the elaiosomes. Myrmecochory (seed dispersal by ants) is also observed in other Fumariaceae and has evolved independently in many other plant genera as well.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Ranunculales
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Family: Papaveraceae
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Genus: Corydalis
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