Aquilegia Express: The Columbine Flower

Arrival of the genus Aquilegia into North America is a recent event occurring 10,000 to 40,000 years ago during the Pleistocene. Columbines crossed into North America from Asia over the Bering land bridge that connected the two continents during that period. A progenitor columbine began to radiate rapidly out of Alaska and throughout the North American continent. As the columbines were moving through out the continent, new species developed.

As with Darwin’s finches, columbines developed similar but differently shaped and colored flowers in response to newly encountered habitats and pollinators. They developed different positions for presenting their flowers, sepals, and spurs, and different spur shapes in response to their primary pollinator.

The parts of a typical columbine flower (Aquilegia coerulea): a) sepal; b) modified petal consisting of a blade and spur; c) stamens and pistil.

Flower Presentation

Columbines present their flowers in “nodding” or erect positions.

Nodding: Aquilegia brevistyla. Photo by Reed Crook.

Nodding: Aquilegia canadensis. Photo by Larry Stritch.

Erect: Aquilegia coerulea var. ochroleuca. Photo by Teresa Prendusi.

Erect: Aquilegia scopulorum. Photo by Cheri Howell.

Sepal Position

The following images display the four types of sepal positioning in relationship to the floral axis: straight, spreading, perpendicular, and reflexed.

Straight: Aquilegia elegantula. Photo by Steve Olson.

Spreading: Aquilegia scopulorum. Photo by Kate Walker.

Perpendicular: Aquilegia chrysantha. Photo by Andrew Kratz.

Reflexed: Aquilegia eximia. Photo by Brad Kelly.

Spur Positioning

There are five types of spur positioning in relationship to the floral axis: a) straight and not spreading; b) straight and spreading; c) curved and spreading; d) hooked and spreading; and, e) hooked and not spreading.

a) Aquilegia micrantha. Photo by Al Schneider.