Kingdom Plantae Family Ranunculaceae Scientific name Aquilegia caerulea Rank Species | Order Ranunculales Genus Aquilegia Higher classification Columbine Symbol of Colorado | |
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Similar Columbine, Aquilegia vulgaris, Aquilegia chrysantha, Aquilegia canadensis, Aquilegia flabellata | ||
Blue columbine aquilegia caerulea
Aquilegia caerulea is a species of Aquilegia flower native to the Rocky Mountains from Montana south to New Mexico and west to Idaho and Arizona. Its common name is Colorado blue columbine; sometimes it is called "Rocky Mountain columbine", but this properly refers to Aquilegia saximontana.
Contents
It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 20–60 cm tall. The flowers are very variable in color, from pale blue (as in the species name caerulea) to white, pale yellow and pinkish; very commonly the flowers are bicolored, with the sepals a different shade to the petals.
Aquilegia caerulea is the state flower of Colorado. It is also an ornamental plant in gardens, with numerous cultivars selected for different flower colors.
There are five varieties:
Aquilegia caerulea rocky mountain columbine
Cultivation
Cultivars include 'Origami' and 'Crimson Star'.
