Texas Gardening: Texas Native Plant Pictures by color ( Yellow ), 0 by htop

htop wrote:
Curvepod fumewort, scrambled eggs (Corydalis curvisiliqua), Fumariaceae Family, native, winter annual or biennial, blooms February through April


Curvepod fumewort, scrambled eggs (Corydalis curvisiliqua) In its native habitat, it can be found on hillsides, prairies, meadows, pastures, plains, savannahs, slopes and woodlands' edges, It prefers growing in clay, loam, medium loam, sandy loam and gravelly soil and in the bright light of part shade to light shade. It grows best in open, thin woods or with the sheltered protection of such shrubs as sagebrush. It requires medium moisture.

Texas distribution:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Texas&statefip...

Curvepod fumewort, scrambled eggs leaves are compound with blades that have 2-3 orders of leaflets and lobes. The ultimate lobes are obovate, oblong or elliptic with the margins frequently being apex obtuse, rounded or incised. The interesting small 1/2 to 1 inch long goldish yellow recurved blooms appear in racemes which have between 6 to18 blooms that stand above the foliage. The bloom pedicel measures 1-3 mm. Some upper petals may have a crest. The blooms have 4 petals with the outer 2 petals enclosing the inner 2 petals. One petal of each bloom has a straight, short, sac-like spur at the base which holds nectar. The lower petal acts as a landing pad for insects seeking nectar. The 2-lobed stigma is rectangular and has 8 papillae.

The 1.75–2.75 " long seed pods (seedpods) are erect and slender. They are usually strongly incurved; however, some may be staight. The 2 mm in diameter seeds appear distinctly roughened or faintly reticulate under when observed under magnification. The seeds do not germinate on dispersal, because an after-ripening period is necessary
This plant has is highly resistant to deer.

Note: Curvepod fumewort, scrambled eggs plants contain 8 alkaloids. They are reportedly toxic to livestock. The pants were used in treating arthritis in the past.

Differientiating between the yellow blooming Corydalis species is diificult and is usually based upon the size of the blooms, whether the blooms stand above the foliage, the height of the plants, and the size of the seed pods (seedpods). Corydalis curvisiliqua ssp. curvisiliqua is an endemic Texas plant.

For more information, see its entry in the PlantFiles:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/76061/index.html

It makes a beautiful showing in very early spring.

This message was edited Mar 21, 2007 3:37 PM