Corydalis intermedia aka Mittlerer Lerchensporn

Corydalis intermedia is a small plant in the poppy family. It is a perennial, which means it lives for years. It is native to Europe's temperate zone. Kew lists it as a plant with tubers below ground. These parts store food and help it live from year to year. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. The RHS accepts its name. It lists Corydalis fabacea as another name for the same plant. In the wild, it grows in woods and among shrubs.

Plants For A Future gives its height as 0.66 feet [0.2 metres]. This makes it a low plant for a woodland site. The sources do not say how wide it grows when mature. They give no leaf shape or colour for this species. They give no flower colour or time of bloom. Each flower has both male and female organs. Plants For A Future says bees pollinate its flowers. The sources give no facts about its fruit.

The species profile lists light sand and medium loam soils. It says the plant prefers moist soil that drains well. It also lists light shade as a good growing condition. The soil range runs from mildly acid to mildly alkaline. Suggested sites include woods with patchy shade and a shaded edge. But the source bases its fuller care notes on the genus as a whole. It does not confirm that this species is hardy in Britain. The evidence gives no firm hardiness zone.

Much of the care guidance deals with seeds. Plants For A Future says to sow seeds soon after they ripen. Dry seeds can soon lose their power to sprout. It says to sow them on the surface and keep them moist. It reports that seeds sprout within one to three months at 15°C. Another cited source says they sprout in spring. Stored seeds may benefit from warmth, then cold. Seedlings grow just one leaf in their first year. At this stage, they are prone to damping off. Leave them in their first pot without disturbance to limit early handling.

Plants For A Future records no known food uses. It gives the species an edible-use score of zero. It records a use as medicine to promote menstrual flow. This record does not show that the use is safe. Nor does it show that the treatment works. The evidence does not establish whether this species is toxic. The sources list no other practical uses.