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Ranunculaceae
Columbine
Aquilegia
Foolishness, unrequited love, faith, fortitude.
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Genus
- Aquilegia
- Native to
- Northern Hemisphere temperate regions
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 30–90 cm
- Sunlight
- Partial shade to full sun
- Soil
- Moist, well-drained
- Water
- Regular
- Hardiness
- 3–9
- Lifespan
- Short-lived perennial
Did you know
- The genus name 'Aquilegia' comes from the Latin 'aquila' (eagle), referring to the long claw-like spurs at the back of the flower.
- The common name 'columbine' is from Latin 'columba' (dove) — the flowers were thought to resemble five doves clustered together.
- The blue Rocky Mountain columbine (Aquilegia coerulea) is the state flower of Colorado, where picking wild ones is illegal.
- Columbines have evolved different spur lengths to match the tongues of their pollinators — bumblebees, hummingbirds, and hawk moths.
- Each flower contains nectar in deep tubular spurs that only long-tongued pollinators can reach.