Corydalis pallida var. pallida ("Furokeman")

Japanese name: フウロケマン （風露華鬘）
Scientific name: Corydalis pallida var. pallida

[Overview]
A biennial 15–50 cm tall, found in sunny grasslands and similar places from the mountains to the lowlands.
It has no spherical tubers underground.
The whole plant is soft and hairless.
The stem is round in cross section, branches from the lower part, and rises obliquely.
There are basal leaves and leaves alternate on the stem; they are ovate and once to twice pinnately compound.
The leaflets are broadly ovate, deeply pinnately divided, and have notches along the margins.
A raceme 2–5 cm long at the stem tip bears 2–8 flowers.
The flowers are yellow, about 2 cm long.
There are 4 petals, but the upper one is longer than the others and has a short spur.
In the latter half of the flowering season, the inflorescence becomes shorter and extends close to the ground, the number of flowers decreases, the flowers become smaller, and cleistogamous flowers are sometimes produced.
The fruit is a linear capsule 1–2 cm long, somewhat constricted like a string of beads, with black seeds in a single row.
When ripe, the fruit bursts open and throws the seeds out.
The seeds are densely covered with conical projections and also have an appendage (elaiosome) that ants like, and they are carried and dispersed by ants.

View this page in Japanese (日本語)