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Aquilegia species hybridize and are, in the words of the Flora of North America, "difficult to define adequately. Some of the variability is because of introgressive hybridization. Even distantly related species of Columbine are often freely interfertile, and many cases of natural hybridization and introgression are known from North America." This page shows Aquilegia elegantula, which occurs throughout the Four Corners area. This species does occasionally hybridize with Aquilegia coerulea (Colorado Columbine). The resulting hybrid shows interesting characteristics of both plants. |
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Aquilegia
elegantula (Shooting Star Columbine) Synonym: Helleboraceae (Hellebore Family). Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family). Montane, subalpine. Woodlands, rocks.
Spring, summer. Shooting Star Columbine lacks the huge, showy sepals that fan out behind Aquilegia coerulea (Colorado Columbine) petals and it does not usually grow in the dense showy clusters of numerous plants and stems that characterize Colorado Columbine, but Shooting Star Columbine is still a strikingly beautiful flower. It is quite common in open woods where it can go unnoticed in the dense greenery around it, but on rock ledges and other open areas, it is obvious and very picturesque. Flowers appear early in the spring at lower elevations and can be found throughout the mountain growing season. Edward Greene described this plant in 1899 from a specimen collected in 1898 by Baker, Earle, and Tracy in "Slide Rock Canyon, near Mancos, Colorado". (Quotation from A Utah Flora.) |
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Aquilegia
elegantula (Shooting Star Columbine) Synonym: Helleboraceae (Hellebore Family). Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family). Montane, subalpine. Woodlands, rocks.
Spring, summer. The spurs
present on most Aquilegia flowers are unique and give rise to its
scientific and common names: |
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Aquilegia
elegantula
(Shooting Star Columbine) Synonym: Helleboraceae (Hellebore Family). Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family). Montane, subalpine. Woodlands, rocks.
Spring, summer. Flowers are streamlined elegance. Notice that the four straight styles surrounded by the numerous stamens (with their yellow anther sacs) both protrude beyond the sepals and petals. And notice that although the petals of this species are spurred (as they are in the famous Colorado Columbine shown below, the sepals are much smaller, oval-shaped, and parallel to the spurs. (In the Colorado Columbine shown below the sepals are flared out and lavender/violet. The top of the spurs, i.e., the top of the petals are white.)
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Range map © John Kartesz,
County Color Key
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Range map for Aquilegia elegantula |
Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state
Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Questionable presence