Flower:

Racemes of up to 20 pale to bright golden yellow flowers that are initially erect, becoming horizontal to drooping with age. Flowers are tubular, ½ to 2/3 inch long with 2 pairs of petals and a slightly curved spur at the back about half as long as the rest of the flower. The outer upper petal is folded along a front midline and forms the spur. Both outer and inner petals broaden out to form ruffled lips at the opening; the upper curls up into a crest and the lower rolling out and down like a ruffled tongue. Outer petals have a spot of green in the center of the tip end that may turn yellow with age. Bracts are linear to elliptic, about 3/8 inch long. The uppermost leaves on a flowering branch typically rise above the raceme. Secondary clusters on lower branches have fewer flowers than upper branches.

Leaves and stems:

Leaves are to 3 inches long, 3 times pinnately compound, leaflets deeply divided with lobes further divided into narrowly elliptic, pointed segments, giving them a feathery appearance. Surfaces are hairless, covered by a waxy bloom that often gives a blue-green or gray-green cast. Stems are multiple from the base, prostrate with the branches ascending, hairless, weakly angled, and light green to reddish.

Fruit:

Fruit is a pod-like capsule about ¾ inch long, slender to stout, widely spreading to hanging, initially straight typically curling up as the shiny black seeds ripen.

Notes:

The pod-like fruits resemble those of members of the pea family, but this species is a relative of Dutchman's Breeches. Golden Corydalis is similar to another native yellow corydalis, Slender Fumewort (Corydalis micrantha), which has primary flower clusters typically exceeding the height of the uppermost leaves, slightly smaller flowers (½ inch or less), its capsules are mostly erect and straight, seeds are smaller, and plants often have cleistogamous (petal-less, self-pollinating) flowers. While their ranges overlap some, Slender Fumewort is uncommon and scattered in the southern third of the state, where Golden Corydalis is more common and present in most counties except in the southwest and south central part of the state. There are 2 subspecies of C. aurea: subsp. aurea is found in Minnesota and described above, subsp. occidentalis is found farther south and west, has erect fruits, a narrow ring around the edge of seeds, and racemes generally exceeding the leaves.