Flora of North America species comparison

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Aquilegia flavescens

Aquilegia elegantula

yellow columbine

shooting-star columbine, western red columbine
Stems

20-70 cm.

10-60 cm.
Basal leaves

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.

2x-ternately compound, 15-30 cm, usually shorter than stems;

leaflets green adaxially, to 11-33 mm, not viscid;

primary petiolules 17-58 mm (leaflets not crowded), glabrous or pilose.
Flowers

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.

pendent;

sepals erect, red proximally, yellow-green distally, elliptic-ovate, 7-11 × 4-5 mm, apex rounded to acute;

petals: spurs red, straight, ± parallel, 16-23 mm, stout (at least proximally), abruptly narrowed near middle, blades yellow-green, oblong or rounded, 6-8 × 3-4 mm;

stamens 8-14 mm.
Follicles

18-27 mm;

beak 8-10 mm.

13-20 mm;

beak 13-15 mm.

Aquilegia flavescens

Aquilegia elegantula
Phenology Flowering summer (Jun–Aug). Flowering spring–summer (May–Jul).
Habitat Moist mountain meadows and alpine slopes Moist coniferous forests, especially along streams
Elevation 1300-3500 m (4300-11500 ft) 1500-3500 m (4900-11500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Aquilegia Ranunculaceae > Aquilegia
Sibling taxa
A. barnebyi, A. brevistyla, A. canadensis, A. chaplinei, A. chrysantha, A. coerulea, A. desertorum, A. elegantula, A. eximia, A. formosa, A. hinckleyana, A. jonesii, A. laramiensis, A. longissima, A. micrantha, A. pubescens, A. saximontana, A. scopulorum, A. shockleyi, A. vulgaris
A. barnebyi, A. brevistyla, A. canadensis, A. chaplinei, A. chrysantha, A. coerulea, A. desertorum, A. eximia, A. flavescens, A. formosa, A. hinckleyana, A. jonesii, A. laramiensis, A. longissima, A. micrantha, A. pubescens, A. saximontana, A. scopulorum, A. shockleyi, A. vulgaris
Synonyms A. flavescens var. miniana
Name authority S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 10. (1871) Greene: Pittonia 4: 14-15. (1899)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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