Aquilegia flavescens
Aquilegia coerulea
yellow columbine
Colorado blue columbine
20-70 cm.
15-80 cm.
2x-ternately compound, 8-30 cm, much shorter than stems;
leaflets green adaxially, to 14-42 mm, not viscid;
primary petiolules to 13-67 mm (leaflets not crowded), glabrous or pilose.
(1-)2(-3)×-ternately compound, 9-37 cm, much shorter than stems;
leaflets green adaxially, to 13-42(-61) mm, not viscid;
primary petiolules (10-)20-70 mm (leaflets not crowded), glabrous or occasionally pilose.
nodding;
sepals perpendicular to floral axis, yellow or tinged with pink, elliptic-lanceolate to oblong, 12-22 × 4-10 mm, apex obtuse to acute or sometimes acuminate;
petals: spurs yellow, tips incurved, 10-18 mm, stout, evenly tapered from base or more abruptly narrowed near middle, blades cream colored, oblong, 7-10 × 4-8 mm;
stamens 12-17 mm.
erect;
sepals perpendicular to floral axis, white, blue, or sometimes pink, elliptic-ovate to lance-ovate, 26-51 × 8-23 mm, apex obtuse to acute or acuminate;
petals: spurs white, blue, or sometimes pink, straight, ± parallel or divergent, 28-72 mm, slender, evenly tapered from base, blades white, oblong or spatulate, 13-28 × 5-14 mm;
stamens 13-24 mm.
18-27 mm;
beak 8-10 mm.
20-30 mm;
beak 8-12 mm.
Aquilegia flavescens
Aquilegia coerulea
Aquilegia flavescens sometimes forms hybrid swarms with A. formosa var. formosa, which grows at lower elevations through much of its range. Intermediate specimens having pinkish red flowers and petal blades 5-6 mm are occasionally found where these species grow together. The name A. flavescens var. miniana has sometimes been mistakenly applied to these intermediates, but the type of var. miniana is a typical, pink-sepaled plant of A. flavescens.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).
Aquilegia coerulea shows considerable geographic variation in flower color and in size of different floral organs, reflecting adaptation to different pollinators in different parts of its range (R. B. Miller 1981). Four weakly differentiated varieties are recognized.
Aquilegia coerulea var. coerulea and A. coerulea var. ochroleuca intergrade to some extent; northwestern populations of var. coerulea often contain individuals with pale flowers, and eastern populations of var. ochroleuca often contain blue-flowered plants.
The Gosivte tribe chewed the seeds of Aquilegia coerulea or used an infusion made from the roots to treat abdominal pains or as a panacea (D. E. Moerman 1986).
Most authors have spelled the epithet "caerulea"; "coerulea" is the original spelling.
Columbine (as Aquilegia caerulea) is the state flower of Colorado.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Petal blades 13–17 mm. | var. alpina |
1. Petal blades 19–28 mm. | → 2 |
2. Sepals medium to deep blue. | var. coerulea |
2. Sepals white, pale blue, or pink. | → 3 |
3. Spurs 36–54 mm (means of populations 40–48 mm); stamens 13–18 mm; Utah to Nevada, Montana. | var. ochroleuca |
3. Spurs 45–72 mm (means of populations 50–58 mm); stamens 18–24 mm; Utah, Arizona. | var. pinetorum |
BC
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
CalFlora
