Corydalis
Scrambled Eggs
Corydalis aurea
North side of Lake Roosevelt in the Sierra Ancha foothills, Gila Co., Arizona. 14 April 2019.
FLOWERS: Maybe
you were fixing breakfast at the campsite and spilled some eggs? The bright
yellow flowers are bilaterally symmetrical with a well-developed nectar tube.
Six stamens. Foliage and blooming occur mostly early spring.
RANGE: These plants are found sporadically throughout the upper elevations
of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and Sonora in damp, sandy soil.
LEAVES: Finely dissected, compound leaves are glabrous.
FRUIT: curved, elongate capsule.
HERB: Biennial or perennial. Related to poppy family and contains
poisonous alkaloids.