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Common Name: Fumewort

General Information

Corydalis solida is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.20 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

The plant is poisonous[, ].

Botanical References

Range

Europe. Naturalized in Britain[].

Habitat

Woods, hedgerows[], meadows, orchards and vineyards[], usually on stony soils, avoiding calcareous soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.20 m
Pollinators	Bees
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a moist, well-drained rather light soil, thriving in semi-shade. Grows well in a woodland garden or peat bed. Increases well when grown in a bulb frame, but less freely when grown in the garden[].
A very ornamental[] and easily grown plant[]. There are some named varieties[].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[].

Edible Uses

Root - boiled[, , , ]. Rich in starch[]. Some caution is advised, there is a report that the plant is toxic.

Medicinal

Fumewort has been used as a painkiller in Chinese medicine for over 1,000 years[]. The tuber is anodyne, antibacterial, antispasmodic, hallucinogenic, nervine and sedative[, , ]. It is used internally as a sedative for insomnia and as a stimulant and painkiller, especially in painful menstruation, traumatic injury and lumbago[]. It is also used for lowering the blood pressure[, ]. Research suggests that it also has an action in the thyroid and adrenal cortex[]. The tuber should not be prescribed for pregnant women[].
The tubers are harvested when the plant is dormant and are dried for later use[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe, the seed rapidly loses viability if it is allowed to become dry[]. Surface sow and keep moist, it usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 15°c[]. Germinates in spring according to another report[]. Two months warm, then a cold stratification improves the germination of stored seed[, ]. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be allowed to grow undisturbed in the pot for their first year. Apply liquid feed at intervals during their growing season to ensure they are well fed. The seedlings only produce one leaf in their first year of growth[] and are very prone to damping off[]. Divide the seedlings into individual pots once they have become dormant and grow them on in a partially shaded area of a greenhouse for at least another year. Plant them out into their permanent positions when they are dormant.
Division after flowering.