Leaf
Bertrand Bui, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Yellow corydalis
Corydalis lutea (L.) DC.
Also known as: Yellow fumitory, Rock fumitory
Family: Papaveraceae
20 to 35 cm tall
Walls, rock gardens, shady gardens, well-drained soils
Flowering: May – October
Part shade
Shade
Hardy to -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
It self-seeds in the cracks of old walls, where it flowers almost all year round.
🍃 Leaves
Finely divided, glaucous, in a compact clump
🌸 Flowers
Small bright yellow spurred flowers, in racemes
🍎 Fruits
Small elongated pods
🪵 Bark
Low, compact clump, self-seeds readily in crevices
🗺️ Distribution
Southern and central Europe; widely naturalised on old walls and shady rock gardens in France.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Small tubular yellow flowers visited by bumblebees and bees, long flowering from spring to autumn.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Low walls, shady rock gardens, paving cracks; self-seeds into a light carpet.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Mildly toxic (alkaloids), like other Papaveraceae; ingestion may cause digestive upset.
🌿 Other Papaveraceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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