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Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Aquilegia coerulea (Colorado blue columbine)
Beckers, Eric

Aquilegia coerulea

Aquilegia coerulea James

Colorado Blue Columbine, Rocky Mountain Columbine

Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family)

Synonym(s): Aquilegia caerulea

USDA Symbol: AQCO

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

The large, upright, blue and white flowers of this popular wildflower are long-spurred and rise above deeply cut, light-green foliage. This short-lived perennial grows to 2-1/2 ft. tall.

The Colorado state flower as Aquilegia caerula, an orthographic variant of the originally published name. Popular in cultivation, with several color phases and double flowers. Hybridization with other species has produced further cultivated varieties. Phases in the wild with pale or white sepals are frequent. A species with blue sepals and white petal tips, but only 2-8 inches (5-20 cm) tall, is Alpine Blue Columbine (A. saximontana), whose blue spurs are hooked at the tip; it grows high in the Colorado mountains.

The genus name "Aquilegia" comes from the Latin "aquila" which means "eagle" and refers to the spurred petals that many believe resemble an eagle's talons.

 

From the Image Gallery

85 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Root Type: Tap
Fruit Type: Follicle
Size Notes: Up to about 30 inches tall.
Leaf: Green

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Pink , Blue
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep
Bloom Notes: Sometimes pink.

Distribution

USA: AZ , CO , ID , MT , NM , NV , SD , UT , WY
Native Distribution: Mts. of s.w. MT & c. ID to n. NM & AZ
Native Habitat: Moist woods; open, mountain meadows

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Soil Description: Moist, talus & rocky soils.
Conditions Comments: Rocky Mountain columbine can be susceptible to aphids when grown in open areas. Most columbine hybrids have this species as one parent. While an individual plant may live only 4-5 years, once established, the plant will self-seed. As one goes north or west from Colorado the blue color of this species becomes less pronounced, until finally the flowers are white or cream. Also, those flowers found naturally at higher altitudes tend to be more colorful than those at lower elevations.

Benefit

Use Wildlife: Provides nectar for long-tongued insects and hummingbirds.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Propagation

Description: Sow seeds outside in fall or divide mature plants in late summer or early fall. Seeds need light to germinate, so scratch only lightly into the soil.
Seed Collection: Seeds may ripen and be shed before the pod has turned brown. If seeds in greenish follicles are black, they are ready to collect. Cut the fruiting stalk and keep in a dry bag for a few days until the seeds shake free.
Seed Treatment: Chilling in moist sand for 2 months will accelerate germination.
Commercially Avail: yes

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:AGCPAKAWCBEMPGPHIMWNCNEWMVE
Status: FACU FAC
This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Tohono Chul Park, Inc. - Tucson, AZ
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Aquilegia coerulea in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Aquilegia coerulea in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Aquilegia coerulea

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-05-04
Research By: TWC Staff

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