Aquilegia coerulea

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Aquilegia
Species:
A. coerulea
Binomial name
Aquilegia coerulea

Aquilegia coerulea, the Colorado blue columbine, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to the Rocky Mountains, USA. Aquilegia coerulea is the state flower of Colorado.[2]

The Latin specific name coerulea (or caerulea) means "sky blue".[3]

Description

It is a herbaceous perennial plant often found at elevations of 2,100 to 3,700 m (6,900 to 12,100 ft). It grows to 20–60 cm (7.9–23.6 in) tall, with flowers sprouting in inflorescences produced from the short apical meristem.[4] The flowers are very variable in color, from pale blue (as in the species name coerulea) to white, pale yellow and pinkish; very commonly the flowers are bicolored, with the sepals a different shade to the petals. They consist of five petals, five sepals and an ovary surrounded by 50 to 130 stamens. Five long spurs hang below the calyx and contain nectar at their tips, accessible only to hawkmoths. In addition to hawkmoths, pollinators for this flower include bumble-bees, solitary bees and syrphid flies.[5] Its native habitats include moist woods and open mountain meadows.[6]

Distribution

It is native to Colorado, south eastern Idaho, southern Montana, Wyoming, northern New Mexico, and Utah.[7]

Cultivation

Aquilegia coerulea is used as an ornamental plant in gardens. Its natural variability is exploited in the selection of numerous cultivars in different shades. Cultivars include 'Origami' [8] and 'Crimson Star'.

References

  1. ↑ NatureServe (2023). "Aquilegia caerulea Colorado Columbine". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "State Flower". State of Colorado. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  3. ↑ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 978-1845337315.
  4. ↑ Pabón-Mora, Natalia; Sharma, Bharti; Holappa, Lynn D.; Kramer, Elena M.; Litt, Amy (March 7, 2013). "The Aquilegia FRUITFULL-like genes play key roles in leaf morphogenesis and inflorescence development". The Plant Journal. 74 (2): 198–199. doi:10.1111/tpj.12113. PMID 23294330.
  5. ↑ Brunet, Johanne (2009). "Pollinators of the Rocky Mountain columbine: temporal variation, functional groups and associations with floral traits". Annals of Botany. 103 (9): 1567–1578. doi:10.1093/aob/mcp096. PMC 2701757. PMID 19414518.
  6. ↑ "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  7. ↑ "Aquilegia coerulea". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  8. ↑ Trim Tree Nursery: Aquilegia caerulea 'Origami Mix'
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