Aquilegia pubescens
Encyclopedia
Aquilegia pubescens is a species of columbine
known by the common names Sierra Columbine and Coville's Columbine. It is sometimes called "yellow columbine", but this properly refers to A. flavescens
.
. It is found in alpine
and subalpine
climates.
Aquilegia pubescens (Sierra columbine) may hybridize with Aquilegia formosa (Western Columbine).
s and petals are generally yellow, less often white or pink.
Aquilegia
Aquilegia is a genus of about 60-70 species of perennial plants that are found in meadows, woodlands, and at higher altitudes throughout the Northern Hemisphere, known for the spurred petals of their flowers.-Etymology:The genus name Aquilegia is derived from the Latin word for eagle , because...
known by the common names Sierra Columbine and Coville's Columbine. It is sometimes called "yellow columbine", but this properly refers to A. flavescens
Aquilegia flavescens
Aquilegia flavescens is a wildflower native to mountain meadows, open woods, and alpine slopes of the Rocky Mountains from Utah north to British Columbia and Alberta.The plant grows to 20-70 cm in height...
.
Distribution
This wildflower is endemic to California, where it is a resident of the High SierraSierra Nevada (US)
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, between the California Central Valley and the Basin and Range Province. The Sierra runs north-to-south, and is approximately across east-to-west...
. It is found in alpine
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
and subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
climates.
Aquilegia pubescens (Sierra columbine) may hybridize with Aquilegia formosa (Western Columbine).
Description
This leafy columbine rarely reaches half a meter-1.5 feet in height. The showy flowers are usually erect rather than drooping and are up to a centimeter wide at the mouth. The flower spurs may be up to 4 centimeters long. The sepalSepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and petals are generally yellow, less often white or pink.