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Ranunculaceae
Colorado Columbine
Aquilegia coerulea
Courage and hope.
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Genus
- Aquilegia
- Native to
- Western United States, Rocky Mountains
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- perennial
- Height
- 1-3 ft
- Sunlight
- part shade to full sun
- Soil
- moist, well-drained, rocky
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 3-8
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Colorado columbine is the official state flower of Colorado, and it is illegal to dig it up on public land there.
- The long spurs on the flowers can reach 2 inches, perfectly adapted for pollination by hawkmoths with long tongues.
- The species name 'coerulea' means sky blue in Latin, describing the flower's characteristic color.
- It naturally grows at elevations between 6,000 and 12,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains.
- Columbine flowers were believed by medieval Europeans to resemble a cluster of five doves, giving rise to the name from the Latin 'columba' meaning dove.
Color meanings
0
courage
1
foolishness
2
endurance