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alcove columbine, Mancos columbine

American columbine, ancolie du Canada, Canadian columbine, Colorado columbine, red columbine, wild columbine

Stems

30-60 cm.

15-90 cm.

Basal leaves

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.

2x-ternately compound, 7-30 cm, much shorter than stems;

leaflets green adaxially, 17-52 mm, not viscid;

primary petiolules 17-93 mm (leaflets not crowded), glabrous or pilose, sometimes somewhat viscid.

Flowers

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.

pendent;

sepals divergent from floral axis, red or apex green, lance-ovate to oblong-ovate, 8-18 × 3-8 mm, apex broadly acute to acuminate;

petals: spurs red, straight, ± parallel to divergent, 13-25 mm, stout (at least proximally), abruptly narrowed near middle, blades pale yellow or yellow-green, oblong to rounded, 5-9 × 4-8 mm;

stamens 15-23 mm.

Follicles

10-20 mm;

beak 8-10 mm.

15-31 mm;

beak 10-18 mm.

2n

= 14.

Aquilegia micrantha

Aquilegia canadensis

Phenology Flowering spring–summer (Apr–Sep). Flowering spring–summer (Mar–Jun).
Habitat Seepy rock walls of canyons Shaded or open woods, often around cliffs, rock outcrops, and forest edges
Elevation 1000-2500 m (3300-8200 ft) 0-1600 m (0-5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; ON; QC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

P. A. Munz divided this species into five varieties, based on size of the plants, sepals, and leaflets and whether the leaves are 2-3×-ternately compound. The variation in size of these organs is not discontinuous or even bimodal, however, and I have not seen any material with 3×-ternately compound leaves. For this reason, no varieties are recognized here. The name Aquilegia canadensis var. hybrida Hooker has been misapplied to this species; the type specimen actually belongs to A. brevistyla (B. Boivin 1953).

Aquilegia canadensis has also been reported from New Brunswick, but the specimen has been destroyed and the species has never been recollected in the province.

Native Americans prepare infusions from various parts of plants of Aquilegia canadensis to treat heart trouble, kidney problems, headaches, bladder problems, and fever, and as a wash for poison ivy; pulverized seeds were used as love charms; and a compound was used to detect bewitchment (D. E. Moerman 1986).

(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. flavescens, A. formosa, A. hinckleyana, A. jonesii, A. laramiensis, A. longissima, A. pubescens, A. saximontana, A. scopulorum, A. shockleyi, A. vulgaris
A. barnebyi, A. brevistyla, A. chaplinei, A. chrysantha, A. coerulea, A. desertorum, A. elegantula, 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. rubicunda, A. micrantha var. mancosana A. australis, A. canadensis var. australis, A. canadensis var. coccinea, A. canadensis var. eminens, A. canadensis var. latiuscula, A. coccinea
Name authority Eastwood: Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 2, 4: 559-560, plate 19. (1895) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 533-534. (1753)
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