Corydalis leucanthema ‘Silver Spectre’

This 1996 collection of plantsman, Dan Hinkley, comes from a rocky creek bank at 6,400′ elevation in Sichuan, China. Corydalis leucanthema ‘Silver Spectre’ has proved to be a great corydalis for the Southeast where many corydalis fear to tread. The lacy, olive-green foliage emerges in late fall with a subtle silver-wash central pattern. Starting for us in mid-March, the clumps are topped with short spikes of light lavender flowers with a dark purple lip. By summer, the plants go summer-dormant, but will reemerge in fall. For us, Corydalis leucanthema ‘Silver Spectre’ has made a nice 5′ wide patch in 5 years and shows no sign of slowing down.