Scientific Name:
Aquilegia vulgaris
Pronunciation:
ack-wih-LEE-jee-uh vul-GAIR-iss
Common Name:
European columbine
Family Name:
Ranunculaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial
Key ID Features:
Stems 45-90cm tall; leaves on stems divided into lobed leaflets and some of these to pinnae that are usually three-lobed at the tips; flowers radially symmetical, petals 5, each with a broad lip (lamina) and 5 short hooked spurs surrounding the petiole (often coloured the same shade as the large petal-like sepals).
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Pyramidal - widely
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich, Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Attract beneficial insects, Attract birds, Perennial border, Rock garden, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Compound Leaf:
Odd-pinnate, Bipinnate
Shapes:
Oblong
Apices:
Rounded
Bases:
Cuneate
Margins:
Dentate
Inflorescence Type:
Cyme
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Funnelform
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Blue, Violet, Pink, Red (Usually blue to violet (some cultivars white to pink to red, some are double petalled, and some are short-spurred or spurless)
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Fruit Type:
Aggregate fruit, Follicle
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Jun, Jul
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Propagation:
Seed
Maintenance:
Medium
Other:
Remove declining foliage off in summer
Pest Susceptibility:
Leaf miner insect (Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant)
