This is widespread in boreal regions of North America, and extends south on rocky sites in the higher Appalachians. In Ky. virtually all records are from the Cumberland Mountains. Much further west, Hussey (1876) reported the species from BARR or EDMO under the old synonyum Corydalis glauca Pursh, but no coll. has been located. Capnoides is a monotypic genus that is closer to Dicentra and Adlumia than Corydalis (Lidén et al. 1997; W).