Red Columbine

Plant Info

Also known as:	Wild Columbine
Scientific name:	Aquilegia canadensis
Family:	Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
Life cycle:	perennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	sun to shade; rocky woods and slopes
Bloom season:	spring
Plant height:	1 to 3 feet
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Battle Creek Regional Park Long Lake Regional Park Vadnais/Snail Lake Regional Park

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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 stamen 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 stamen.

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

More red wildflowers. Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN, May 2007

Comments

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