Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Ranunculales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
Aquilegia canadensis
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Eastern Columbine from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Aquilegia canadensis
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 076-02-001:
Aquilegia canadensis
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
COMMON NAME:
Eastern Columbine, Canada Columbine
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_aqca_001_lvd
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_a_canadensis_sharp
March
Sepals divergent from floral axis, lance-ovate to oblong-ovate, per Flora of North America.
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Ben Geer Keys bgk112_b
April
The tube-shaped flower accommodates a hummingbird's bill, per The Wildlife Gardener's Guide.
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JK Marlow s070415_a
April Greenville County SC
Leaves divided into 3 rounded segments that may be divided again into 3, per Wild Flowers of NC, 1st edition.
COMPARE
leaves that resemble Thalictrum
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Steve Marlow snmcolumbine_104_01lo
April Greenville County SC
The only Columbine native to the East: It can't be mistaken, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains.
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Tim Spira tps_acanadensis_2
April
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JK Marlow jkm0305v_03
May Buncombe County NC
NC Arboretum
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JK Marlow jkm080526_001
May Greenville County SC
Each follicle resembles a slender capsule and contains many seeds, per Growing and Propagating Wild Flowers.
COMPARE
fruits that are an aggregate of follicles
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JK Marlow jkm080526_009
May Greenville County SC
Seeds are lustrous, black, obovoid, angled, 1.5-1.8mm long and 1mm broad, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.
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Keith Bradley kab_a_canadensis_73303
May Polk County NC
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JK Marlow jkm080602_003
June Greenville County SC
Right after the flowers, 5 light green papery follicles are evident, per Growing and Propagating Wild Flowers.
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Harry Davis hld112_crw_6936
July Buncombe County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
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JK Marlow jkm090709_201
July Haywood County NC
Pisgah National Forest: Pisgah Ranger District
The flowers are creatively designed: red sepals alternate w yellow petals, per Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee.
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JK Marlow jkm090709_204
July Haywood County NC
Pisgah National Forest: Pisgah Ranger District
The five petals have yellow blades and hollow red spurs that contain nectar, per Wildflowers of Tennessee.
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JK Marlow jkm0108d_23
August Buncombe County NC
NC Arboretum
When in leaf, can be mistaken for Thalictrum or Enemion; look for old fruits, per Weakley's Flora (2018).
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JK Marlow s070815_a
August Greenville County SC
Leaves glabrous above, glaucous beneath, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.
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JK Marlow jkm0309k_30
September Rutherford County NC
Chimney Rock Park
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
Aquilegia canadensis
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Aquilegia canadensis
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 076-02-001:
Aquilegia canadensis
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
112
Forb
Perennial
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Documented growing wild in GA NC SC
Common (rare in Coastal Plain of GA, NC, SC)
Look for it in forests, woodlands, rock outcrops, esp (though by no means entirely) on calcareous or mafic substrates, per Weakley's Flora
Click here to see a more detailed map from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium,
or click here to see a map from SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
...Moist
...Variable
...Dry
LEAVES:
Ternately compound, with 2-3 levels of compoundness
Basal & alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
Red/Yellow
5 sepals
5 petals
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Spring
Aggregate of follicles
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South p129
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee p102
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers p042
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC p107
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide p228
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast p376
- Wild Flowers of NC, 1st edition p061
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition p071
- Wildflowers of Tennessee p033
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians p055
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont p334
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains p044