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ancolie vulgaire, European columbine

Hinckley's columbine

Stems

30-72 cm.

50-70 cm.

Basal leaves

2x-ternately compound, 10-30 cm, much shorter than stems;

leaflets green adaxially, to 15-47 mm, not viscid;

primary petiolules 22-60 mm (leaflets not crowded), pilose or rarely glabrous.

2x-ternately compound, 30-40 cm, much shorter than stems;

leaflets green adaxially, to 20-40 mm, not viscid;

primary petiolules 25-50 mm (leaflets not crowded), pilose.

Flowers

nodding;

sepals divergent from or perpendicular to floral axis, mostly blue or purple, lance-ovate, (10-)15-25 × 8-12 mm, apex broadly acute or obtuse;

petals: spurs mostly blue or purple, hooked, 14-22 mm, stout, evenly tapered from base, blades mostly blue or purple, oblong, 10-13 × 6-10 mm;

stamens 9-13 mm.

suberect;

sepals perpendicular to floral axis, yellow, ovate, 25-34 × 14-18 mm, apex obtuse;

petals: spurs yellow, straight, ± parallel, 40-56 mm, slender, evenly tapered from base, blades yellow, oblong, 19-23 × 13-17 mm;

stamens 17-20 mm.

Follicles

15-25 mm;

beak 7-15 mm.

20-25 mm;

beak 20 mm.

2n

= 14 (Europe).

Aquilegia vulgaris

Aquilegia hinckleyana

Phenology Flowering spring–summer (May–Jul). Flowering spring (Mar–Apr).
Habitat Disturbed habitats Dripping cliffs
Elevation 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft) 1000 m (3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; IA; IL; MA; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; VT; WA; WV; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; native to Europe [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX
Discussion

Aquilegia vulgaris is cultivated as an ornamental and occasionally escapes into disturbed habitats. Most plants have blue or purple flowers (the wild type), but horticultural races with white or reddish flowers sometimes become established. Many cultivated columbines are derived from hybrids between A. vulgaris and related species. Some of our escaped plants are probably descended from such hybrids.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Of conservation concern.

Aquilegia hinckleyana is endemic to Capote Falls, Presidio County, Texas. The key and description above are based on specimens seen. E. J. Lott (1979) gave the range of sepal width in A. hinckleyana as 9-17 mm, thus overlapping the range in A. chrysantha. She considered sepal shape to be the most reliable key character for distinguishing these species, with sepals less than 2.5 times as long as wide in A. hinckleyana and more than 2.5 times as long as wide in A. chrysantha. Perhaps because of the overlap in characters, she later reduced A. hinckleyana to a variety of A. chrysantha (E. J. Lott 1985). Until her data are published, I prefer to follow the established taxonomy.

(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. micrantha, A. pubescens, A. saximontana, A. scopulorum, A. shockleyi
A. barnebyi, A. brevistyla, A. canadensis, A. chaplinei, A. chrysantha, A. coerulea, A. desertorum, A. elegantula, A. eximia, A. flavescens, A. formosa, A. jonesii, A. laramiensis, A. longissima, A. micrantha, A. pubescens, A. saximontana, A. scopulorum, A. shockleyi, A. vulgaris
Synonyms A. chrysantha var. hinckleyana
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 533. (1753) Munz: Gentes Herb. 7: 141. (1946)
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