''Aquilegia coerulea'', the Colorado blue columbine, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

, USA. ''Aquilegia coerulea'' is the state flower of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. The Latin specific name ''coerulea'' (or ''caerulea'') means "sky blue".

Description

It is a

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

often found at elevations of 2,100 to 3,700 m (6,900 to 12,100 ft). It grows to tall, with flowers sprouting in inflorescences produced from the short

apical Apical means "pertaining to an apex". It may refer to: *Apical ancestor, refers to the last common ancestor of an entire group, such as a species (biology) or a clan (anthropology) *Apical (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features loc ...

meristem The meristem is a type of tissue found in plants. It consists of undifferentiated cells (meristematic cells) capable of cell division. Cells in the meristem can develop into all the other tissues and organs that occur in plants. These cells conti ...

. The flowers are very variable in color, from pale blue (as in the species name ''coerulea'') to white, pale yellow and pinkish; very commonly the flowers are bicolored, with the sepals a different shade to the petals. They consist of five petals, five sepals and an

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

surrounded by 50 to 130

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s. Five long spurs hang below the calyx and contain nectar at their tips, accessible only to

hawkmoths The Sphingidae are a family of moths ( Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, b ...

. In addition to hawkmoths, pollinators for this flower include bumble-bees, solitary bees and syrphid flies. Its native habitats include moist woods and open mountain meadows.

Distribution

It is native to Colorado, south eastern Idaho, southern Montana, Wyoming, northern New Mexico, and Utah.

Cultivation

''Aquilegia coerulea'' is used as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

in gardens. Its natural variability is exploited in the selection of numerous

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s in different shades.

Cultivars A cultivar is a type of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and when Plant propagation, propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and st ...

include 'Origami' Trim Tree Nursery: Aquilegia caerulea 'Origami Mix'
/ref> and 'Crimson Star'.

Gallery

Aquilegia caerulea0.jpg, Yellow-p color variant Aquilegia caerulea 'Crimson Star' Spectral comparison Vis UV IR.jpg, cv. 'Crimson Star' in visible light, UV (showing

nectar guide Nectar guides are markings or patterns seen in flowers of some angiosperm species, that guide pollinators to their rewards. Rewards commonly take the form of nectar, pollen, or both, but various plants produce oil, resins, scents, or waxes. Such ...

s), and IR.

References

External links

* Photos of
Colorado state flower

''Aquilegia coerulea'' Genome sequencing
* coerulea Flora of Colorado Flora of the Rocky Mountains Garden plants of North America Symbols of Colorado {{Ranunculales-stub