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Ranunculaceae
Alpine Columbine
Aquilegia alpina
High alpine purity.
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Genus
- Aquilegia
- Native to
- Alps, Apennines, Central Europe
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- perennial herb
- Height
- 1-2 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- well-drained, rocky, moist
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 4-8
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Aquilegia alpina produces exceptionally large, intensely blue flowers among the most vivid of all European alpine plants.
- It grows at elevations up to 8,500 feet in the Alps, blooming in meadows just above the treeline.
- The long spurs behind the petals contain nectar accessible only to long-tongued bumblebees and hawk-moths.
- It has been widely crossed with other species to produce garden columbines, contributing blue color to hybrids.
- The name 'Aquilegia' is thought to derive from the Latin 'aquila' (eagle), the petals resembling an eagle's talons.
Color meanings
0
purity
1
alpine beauty
2
rarity