Golden corydalis

Corydalis aurea, known as golden corydalis or scrambled eggs, is a low-growing biennial or short-lived perennial herb in the Papaveraceae family, typically reaching 15 to 40 centimetres in height. It forms loose mounds of pale blue-green, glaucous foliage; leaves are alternate, finely two- to three-pinnately compound, with small wedge-shaped leaflets that give a delicate fern-like appearance. The plant arises from a slender taproot. Bright golden-yellow flowers, 12 to 16 millimetres long, are borne in short terminal or axillary racemes from early spring into summer; each flower is bilaterally symmetrical with a single spur about 4 to 6 millimetres long and tipped with a slight upward curve. Fruits are slender pendent capsules, 15 to 25 millimetres long, that split to release small shiny black seeds. The species is widespread across western and northern North America on dry, gravelly, or disturbed soils from foothills to subalpine elevations.