Aquilegia flavescens
Aquilegia micrantha
yellow columbine
alcove columbine, Mancos columbine
20-70 cm.
30-60 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.
2-3x-ternately compound, 10-35 cm, much shorter than stems;
leaflets green adaxially, to 13-32 mm, viscid;
primary petiolules 21-64 mm (leaflets not crowded), glandular-pubescent or glandular.
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 or nodding;
sepals perpendicular to floral axis, white, cream, blue, or pink, oblong-lanceolate, 8-20 × 3-6 mm, apex acuminate to obtuse;
petals: spurs white or colored like sepals, straight, ± parallel or divergent, 15-30 mm, slender, evenly tapered from base or occasionally ± abruptly narrowed near middle, blades white or cream, oblong, 6-10 × 3-7 mm;
stamens 9-14 mm.
18-27 mm;
beak 8-10 mm.
10-20 mm;
beak 8-10 mm.
Aquilegia flavescens
Aquilegia micrantha
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.)
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