The Chinese weed Corydalis linstowiana (Papaveraceae) recorded for the first time in Belgium

Corydalis linstowiana Fedde is a Chinese species with a rather limited natural distribution (the western part of Sichuan). It is cultivated, although probably very rarely, as an ornamental plant and – thanks to its ‘explosive’ fruits – is sometimes observed in a subspontaneous or even locally naturalized state. It is often considered an undesirable xenophyte rather than an ornamental plant. An apparently well-established population has been observed for some time now in Bruges (province of West Flanders), in and around a garden centre. A closely related and ecologically similar species, C. incisa (Thunb.) Pers., has become invasive in North America in a short period of time.