Aquilegia canadensis (Red Columbine)

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Detailed Information

Flower:

5 upside down tubes fused at the tips into a bell shape. The spurs at the base of each tube are hollow. Color is red with yellow tips, but can range from pink-red to orange-red. A bundle of yellow stamens hangs down from the bottom of the bell. Flower is 1 to 2 inches long from the tip of the tube spur to the tip of the stamens.

Leaves and stem:

Leaves are compound in 3's, basal and alternating up the slender stem. Leaflets may be notched and/or lobed in 2 or 3 segments, to 2½ inches long and wide. The stem may be slightly hairy, especially on the upper part of the plant.

Fruit:

5 to 7 erect green pod-like containers, each ½ to 1 inch long with a “tail” at the top. They split open at the side to release many shiny round seeds.

More photos

• full size plant, about 30 inches tall
• underside of a flower

Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN, May 2007

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?