Bezdeleva. Structural-biological peculiarities of species of the genus Corydalis Vent. in the Russian Far East

Structural-biological peculiarities of species of the genus Corydalis Vent. in the Russian Far East

Tamara A. BEZDELEVA
Botanical Garden-Institute FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia

The genus Corydalis (Papaveraceae) in the flora of the Russian Far East is represented by 21 species classified into 7 sections according to Popov and is characterized by a diverse life forms. The section Archaeocapnos is represented by six seasonal, summer-green species. The generative individuals form tufts up to 3-4 m diameter with a taproot and three kinds of rhizomes. The primary root often persists during the life of an individual. The monocarpic shoots are semi-rosette, polycyclic, growing in a monopodial manner during several (up to 14) years and form rosette shoots bearing 1 large rosette leaf up to 50 cm (or longer) every year. An annual vegetative shoot has elongated, branches, 40-100 cm high. The section Ceratotuber includes one species, C. buschii that is a spring- and summergreen forest ephemeroid, tuberous-stoloniferous hervaceous polycarpic plant, and a vegetative annual geophyte. It has a tuber with 1-4 stolons underground. The apical bud of a stolon develops into an elongated vegetative or generative annual shoot. The daughter tuberous-stoloniferous structures are formed at the bases of both vegetative and generative shoots. The tuber of C. buschii is compound and consists of a shoot base and thickened stoloniferous bases. The generative plant is a tuft up to 25-30 cm diameter. The section Pes-gallinaceus is represented by 6 species. These plants are spring-green ephemeroids. All species of this section are tuberous geophytes. The tuber is replaced annually by one which is formed within the former tuber. The shoots in species of the section Pes-gallinaceus are elongated up to 5-25 cm long and bear 3-4 scaly leaves at the bases, one scaly leaf at a certain distance from lower scaly leaves, two median assimilative leaves, with a terminal inflorescence. C. remota differs from other species of the section Pes-gallinaceus in the formation of two life forms, namely tuberous and tuberousstoloniferous geophytes. The species of Sophorocapnos section are annual to biennial tap-rooted monocarpic plants with a semi-rosette shoot. The species of Microcapnos section are tap-rooted annual monocarpic plants with an elongated shoot.