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Natural
History Red Columbine (Aquilegia formosa) Richard Hebda INDEX for Native Plants This text was originally published in Coastal Grower (formerly The Island Grower) in Victoria, British Columbia. For subscription information, please call Susanne Steele at the Coastal Grower at 250-478-0825. Columbines (Aquilegia spp.) have graced gardens throughout for many centuries. They have particularly associated with country or semi-natural gardens because in general they are woodland edge species, filling that transition from formal cultivation to wild nature. Red columbine, one of several British Columbia native species, is an ideal subject for this and other garden purposes where wild but attractive native elements are desired. Furthermore red columbine is a favourite food for hummingbirds thus attracting wildlife to your garden. Red columbines are classified within the the Buttercup Family along with two other native species. They grow as perennial herbs from a stout tap root which produces one to several leafy stems reaching up to 1 m (40") tall. The long leaves are twice divided with the three terminal leaflets further divided into rounded lobes. Flowers are of the typical interesting columbine type. The 3-5 cm broad blooms resemble flying red-orange stars with hot yellow centres. The five sepals are petal-like and form the star pattern. The petals are modified into spurs or elongate pouches which sweep backward form the sepals. The mouth of each petal is yellow. At the centre of the flower a yellow cluster of stamens protrudes. Several stigmas sit atop several styles which prode through the mass of stamens. The structure of the flowers is particularly interesting for it has evolved to facilitate pollination by hummingbirds. First of all the blooms are oriented slightly downward, to allow the bird to hover beneath the bloom and poke its beak into the flower. The long spurs act to collect the nectar, forcing the hummingbird to reach well past the stamens and stigma which protrude in a way to brush pollen onto the visiting bird. Once the bird leaves one flower and visits the next pollen brushed onto the bird is left behind on the stigma of the new bloom. Red columbine is one of those species that occurs, and can be grown throughout British Columbia. The North American distribution extends from Alaska, along the mountains and coast as far south as Baja California. Most often you will find it in the forest or forest margins and openings, though it does not thrive in full shade of conifers. The species also extends well into the alpine zone above the tree line and may occur in moist meadows too. Cultivated columbines are popular garden plants, grown mainly from seed. Red columbine ranks with other columbine as a superb garden subject for moist, sunny to lightly shaded settings. It is easily and best raised from seed which should be sown in the fall and left outside for germination in the spring. This species is especially good for cold northern interior gardens where people occasionally use it in foundation beds. The first peoples of British Columbia knew columbine well. Thompson people believed that red columbine brought good fortune in gambling, acquisition of wealth and in love. They rubbed the plant on the legs of horses and racers to increase their stamina. The scientific name Aquilegia derives from the Latin word for eagle aquila and refers apparently to the claw-like petals. The Latin species name, Formosa, means beautiful.
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