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Pale Corydalis - Corydalis sempervirens
Other Names:
Capnoides sempervirens
State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
Corydalis sempervirens is rare in Montana, where plants are known from at least 25 occurrences in the northwestern portion of the state. The species is an annual or biennial that grows in disturbed habitats, predominantly burned forests. Corydalis sempervirens depends heavily on historical fire regimes to maintain populations because germination takes place in sparsely vegetated, recently disturbed habitats. Due to these dynamics, population sizes and the amount of available, suitable habitat varies widely from year to year. Seeds apparently survive in the soil for many years, which means the soil seedbank and maintaining historical fire regimes are critical for the species' long-term viability. Invasive plant species become problematic because they invade recently disturbed areas and directly compete with Corydalis sempervirens. In Montana, the species remains vulnerable to imperiled because of its overall rarity, in conjunction with its short-lived life cycle and requirements for ephemeral habitat.
Surveys that target recently burned, forested habitat in northwest Montana are needed to collect current mapping and data on population parameters, habitat conditions, non-native plant species, and conservation risk. Revisits to known occurrences are also necessary to gauge population trends and habitat changes.
General Description
Annual or biennial with 1 to several branched stems reaching up to 6 dm high. Foliage glabrous, with whitish wax that rubs off. Leaves with long petioles; blades pinnately divided into 3-5 pairs of leaflets that are subsequently divided 1-2 times into narrowly elliptic segments 2-5 mm wide. Flowers 3-10, borne on short, spreading to drooping stalks at the top of the branches. Sepals 2, pinkish, membranous, ca. 3 mm long, usually early deciduous. Petals 4 (2 inner; 2 outer). Corolla pinkish, yellow-tipped, 10-15 mm long. Outer petals appear to form a tube with the stalk attached near the middle; inner tubes are smaller and joined at the tips. Stamens 6, united into 2 groups. Capsules 30-45 mm long, linear, erect at maturity.
Phenology
Flowering in July.
Diagnostic Characteristics
Our only pink-flowered Corydalis is unmistakable. The introduced species Fumaria officinalis also has pink flowers, but the fruits are globose.
Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
Flathead and Glacier counties; AK to NL south to BC, MT, MB, GA (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 64
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
Montane; rocky, disturbed or eroding soil of steep slopes in open forest, often appearing after fire (
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
National Vegetation Classification System Groups Associated with this Species
Forest and Woodland
Montane - Subalpine Forest and Woodland
Shrubland
Foothills - Montane Shrubland
Grassland
Montane - Subalpine Grassland
Recently Disturbed or Modified
Recently Burned
Ecology
POLLINATORS The following animal species have been reported as pollinators of this plant species or its genus where their geographic ranges overlap:
Bombus bifarius,
Bombus occidentalis, and
Bombus insularis (Macior 1974, Pyke et al. 2012, Miller-Struttmann and Galen 2014).
Stewardship Responsibility
Threats or Limiting Factors
Reported threats to Montana's populations of Pale Corydalis are associated with forestry, fire, non-native plant species, and the lack of habitat disturbance. Pale Corydalis requires forest disturbance, especially from wildfires, for populations to perpetuate or to colonize in new locations. Wood harvesting has been reported as a threat that may cause negative impacts. However, the species does require disturbance for populations to grow and seeds to germinate. Thus, it remains unknown as to whether wood harvesting results in positive or negative impacts for specific populations. The species grows in burned forests, and seeds germinate where there is sparse vegetation. Therefore, a lack of disturbance, especially from wildfires, may be a threat that negatively impacts the persistence and viability of populations. Competition from non-native plant species can directly, negatively impact Pale Corydalis populations. Many non-native plant species colonize disturbed habitat, even after wildfires, and could negatively impact the persistence of Pale Corydalis.
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
Macior, L.M. 1974. Pollination ecology of the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Melanderia 15: 1-59.- Miller-Struttmann, N.E. and C. Galen. 2014. High-altitude multi-taskers: bumble bee food plant use broadens along an altitudinal productivity gradient. Oecologia 176:1033-1045.
- MTNHP Threat Assessment. 2021. State Threat Score Assignment and Assessment of Reported Threats from 2006 to 2021 for State-listed Vascular Plants. Botany Program, Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, Montana.
- Pyke, G.H., D.W. Inouye, and J.D. Thomson. 2012. Local geographic distributions of bumble bees near Crested Butte, Colorado: competition and community structure revisited. Environmental Entomology 41(6): 1332-1349.
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
- Web Search Engines for Articles on "Pale Corydalis"
