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PLANTS OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK 
Golden corydalis (Corydalis aurea ), a low herb with watery juice, 
dissected leaves and racemes of yellow, irregular flowers, is not un¬ 
common in the park. Each flower has 2 small sepals, 4 petals, 1 
of them spurred at the base, 6 stamens and 1 pistil. 
Steerhead (Dicentra uni-flora ), a little alpine plant with pinnately 
compound leaves and usually a single, flesh-colored flower, shaped 
like those of the bleeding heart, has also been reported in the park. 
Figure 48.—Golden corydalis. Yellow. Photograph by A. R. Sweetser. 
MUSTARD FAMILY (BRASSICACEAE OR CRBCXFERAE) 
The members of the mustard family can usually be recognized 
by the flowers and fruits. The flowers usually have 4 sepals, 4 
petals, arranged in the form of a cross, 6 stamens, 2 of them shorter 
than the other 4, and 1 pistil. The fruit is a pod which may be 
long or short, round or flat, but at maturity, in most cases, the two 
sides fall away from a central partition. The seeds are attached 
on both sides of the partition. The family contains a number of 
valuable, edible plants, such as cabbage, cauliflower, turnip, radish, 
and cress. It also contains a number of rather troublesome weeds. 
It is usually necessary to have mature fruits as well as flowers in 
order to distinguish the various members of the family. 
