Plants biennial, from somewhat succulent roots. Stems usually 1, erect, 0.5-8 dm, very glaucous. Leaves compound; blade with 3-4 orders of leaflets and lobes; ultimate lobes oblong-elliptic, obtuse, apiculate. Inflorescences terminal, racemose or paniculate, 1-8-flowered on each axis; bracts inconspicuous, narrowly elliptic, 2-5 × 0.5-1 mm. Flowers erect; pedicel slender, 5-20 mm; sepals ovate, short-attenuate, to 3 mm; petals pink, tipped yellow; spurred petal 10-15 mm, spur blunt, 3-4 mm, crest absent, marginal wing relatively broad, revolute, unspurred outer petal 10-13 mm; inner petals 9-12 mm, blade broadly obovate, with high, angular keel, claw slender, 6-8 mm; nectariferous spur 1/3 length of petal spur, blunt; style ca. 4 mm; stigma triangular, with 4 papillae. Capsules erect, linear, straight, (25-)30-35(-50) mm. Seeds ca. 1 mm diam., minutely decorated. 2 n = 16. Flowering early summer-early fall. Rock crevices, talus, forest clearings, open woods, and on burned or otherwise disturbed areas in shallow, often dry soil; 10-1550 m; Alta, B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld., N.W.T., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Yukon; Alaska, Conn., Ga., Ill., Ind., Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Mont., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Vt., Va., W.Va., Wis. The Iroquois used a decoction prepared from plants of Corydalis sempervirens medicinally to alleviate piles (D. E. Moerman 1986).