Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in southwestern Washington; southwestern Oregon to adjacent northwestern Oregon.
Habitat: Wet places of shaded forests.
Flowers: June-August
Origin: Native
Growth Duration: Perennial
Conservation Status: Threatened in Washington (WANHP)
Pollination: Bumblebees, bees
Herbaceous perennial from deep-seated, fleshy roots, the stems succulent and hollow, simple to branched, 3-11 dm. tall.
Leaves alternate, several, yellowish-green, glaucous on the lower surface, the lower cauline ones up to 6 dm. long, 4- to 6-times pinnate, the ultimate segments very numerous, elliptic, 5-12 mm. long and 2-5 mm. wide.
Inflorescence of bracteate, simple to well-compounded racemes, up to 22 cm. long, closely 30- to 60-flowered; sepals 2; petals 4, dissimilar, 12-20 mm. long, pale to deep pinkish, the inner petals more deeply colored at the tip, the upper petal conspicuously crested, with a spur 9-11 mm. long; stamens 6, united into 2 groups alternate with the inner petals; style 1, 3-7 mm. long.
Capsule ellipsoid, 10-15 mm. long
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Corydalis aquae-gelidae in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database
WA Flora Checklist: Corydalis aquae-gelidae checklist entry
OregonFlora: Corydalis aquae-gelidae information
E-Flora BC: Corydalis aquae-gelidae atlas page
CalPhotos: Corydalis aquae-gelidae photos