Aquilegia is a genus of about 60-70 species of perennial plants that are found in meadows,
woodlands, and at higher altitudes throughout the Northern Hemisphere, known for the spurred
petals of their flowers.
Etymology The genus name Aquilegia is derived from the
Latin word for eagle, because the shape of the flower petals, which are said to resemble
an eagle's claw. The common name "columbine" comes from the Latin for "dove", due to the
resemblance of the inverted flower to five doves clustered together.
Description The fruit is a follicle. the five points that
stick out further than the petals are the calix.
Relatives Columbines are closely related to plants in
the genera Actaea and Aconitum, which like Aquilegia produce cardiogenic toxins.
Insects They are used as food plants by some Lepidoptera
caterpillars. These are mainly of noctuid moths – noted for feeding on many poisonous
plants without harm – such as Cabbage Moth, Dot Moth and Mouse Moth. The Engrailed, a
geometer moth, also uses columbine as a larval foodplant.
Cultivation
Columbine is a hardy perennial, which propagates by seed. It will grow to a height of 15 to
20 inches. It will grow in full sun; however, it prefers growing in partial shade and well
drained soil, and is able to tolerate average soils and dry soil conditions. Columbine is
rated at hardiness zone 3 in the USA so does not require mulching or protection in the
winter. Large numbers of hybrids are available for
the garden, since the British A. vulgaris was joined by other European and North American
varieties. Aquilegia species are very interfertile, and will self-sow. Some varieties are short-lived
so are better treated as biennials. The following hybrid cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural
Society's Award of Garden Merit: The British National Collection of Aquilegia
is held by Mrs Carrie Thomas at Killay near Swansea.
Uses The flowers of various species of columbine
were consumed in moderation by Native Americans as a condiment with other fresh greens, and
are reported to be very sweet, and safe if consumed in small quantities. The plant's
seeds and roots are highly poisonous however, and contain cardiogenic toxins which cause
both severe gastroenteritis and heart palpitations if consumed as food. Native Americans used
very small amounts of Aquilegia root as a treatment for ulcers. However, the medical
use of this plant is better avoided due to its high toxicity; columbine poisonings may
be fatal. The acute toxicity test in mice showed that
ethanol extract and the main flavonoid compound isocytisoside from the leaves and stems of
Aquilegia vulgaris can be classified as nontoxic since a dose of 3000 mg/kg did not cause
mortality in mice. Culture
The Colorado Blue Columbine is the official state flower of Colorado.
Evolution Columbines have been important in the study
of evolution. It was found that Sierra Columbine and Crimson Columbine each have adapted specifically
to a pollinator. Bees and hummingbirds are the visitors to A. formosa, while hawkmoths
would only visit A. pubescens when given a choice. Such a "pollination syndrome", being
due to flower color and orientation controlled by their genetics, ensures reproductive isolation
and can be a cause of speciation. Petal spur evolution
Aquilegia petals show an enormous range of petal spur length diversity ranging from a
centimeter to the 15 cm spurs of Aquilegia longissima. Selection from pollinator shifts
is suggested to have driven these changes in nectar spur length. Interestingly, it was
shown that this amazing spur length diversity is achieved solely through changing cell shape,
not cell number or cell size. This suggests that a simple microscopic change can result
in a dramatic evolutionarily relevant morphological change.
Species
Columbine species include: See also
Nora Barlow Footnotes
References Allan M. Armitage: Armitage's Native Plants
for North American Gardens.Timber Press, 2006 ISBN 0-88192-760-0, ISBN 978-0-88192-760-3
Dezhi, Fu; Robinson, Orbélia R.: 19. Aquilegia. In: Wu, Z. Y.; Raven, Peter Hamilton & Hong,
D. Y.: Flora of China: 278. Science Press, Beijing & Missouri Botanical Garden Press,
St. Louis. ISBN 1-930723-25-3 HTML fulltext Fulton, M.; Hodges, S. A.. "Floral isolation
between Aquilegia formosa and Aquilegia pubescens". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological
Sciences 266: 2247–2252. doi:10.1098/rspb.1999.0915. Hodges, S. A.; Whittall, J. B.; Fulton, M.;
Yang, J. Y.. "Genetics of Floral Traits Influencing Reproductive Isolation between Aquilegia formosa
and Aquilegia pubescens". The American Naturalist 159: S51–S60. doi:10.1086/338372. PMID 18707369.
Nold, Robert: Columbines: Aquilegia, Paraquilegia, and Semiaquilegia. Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-588-8
Preview at Google Books Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh [2008]: Digital
Flora Europaea: Aquilegia species list. Retrieved 2008-NOV-25.
Tilford, Gregory L.: Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West. Mountain Press Pub., Missoula,
Montana. ISBN 0-87842-359-1 United States Department of Agriculture [2008]:
USDA Plants Profile: Aquilegia. Retrieved 2008-NOV-25.
Puzey, J. R.; Gerbode, S. J.; Hodges, S. A.; Kramer, E. M.; Mahadevan, L.. "Evolution of
spur-length diversity in Aquilegia petals is achieved solely through cell-shape anisotropy".
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. doi:10.1098/rspb.2011.1873.
Related reading Kramer, E. M.. Aquilegia: A New Model for
Plant Development, Ecology, and Evolution Annual Review of Plant Biology, Vol. 60.