Western Columbine

(Aquilegia formosa)

Western Columbine

A striking native perennial, Western Columbine graces moist forests, woodlands, alpine and sub-alpine meadows in western North America from Alaska to Baja and east to Wyoming. Red and yellow flowers with pronounced spurred petals and colorful sepals nod from graceful stems in late spring to summer.

Reminiscent of a bird in flight, the unusual flower shape inspired the genus name Aquilegia, from the Latin word for eagle. The species name formosa means handsome, beautiful or well-formed. The common name Columbine comes from “columbina” which means dove-like in Latin, and is often preceded by descriptors referring to the flower's color: Red, Crimson or Scarlet Columbine.

Western Columbine flower

The delicate, but complex flower structure is characterized by five red sepals between five petals with yellow blades in the center extending with a long, red spur behind the flower. A cluster of yellow stamens protrude from the middle of the petals.

Red Columbine grows in bushy clumps, up to three feet, with deeply lobed, small blue-green leaflets. Flowering stems have fewer leaves with blooms hanging from slender stalks. The flowers are edible and taste sweet due to nectar that collects in the petal spurs. Hummingbirds, butterflies and insects with long tongues harvest the nectar. Bumblebees, who aren't able to reach the nectar, cut a little hole in the petal spur giving them direct access.

Native Americans also enjoyed the sweet flowers. Children sucked nectar from the spurs like kids today eat candy. Medicinally, leaves were chewed or made into infusions for colds, coughs and sore throats. Native lore among the British Columbia Hiada warned that picking the flowers would cause rain and they named the plant Red Rain Flower.

Red Columbine is easy to grow and makes a showy addition to wildflower, rock and perennial gardens. Plant in well-drained, soil in sun or part shade, just don't let the soil become totally dry. Deadheading spent blooms will stimulate additional flowers, but letting late summer blooms go to seed will help this short-lived perennial replenish itself in your garden for years.

To propagate Red Columbine, collect ripe seed, plant in pots and place in a cold frame to stratify for three months. Red Columbine is tap-rooted, so plant seedlings in spring as soon as the soil has warmed and frost danger is past.

Columbines cross-pollinate, so be sure your seeds come from a stand that is not near another variety of columbine. And, keep in mind, columbine seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides which can be fatal if eaten.

Deer and rabbits don't browse Red Columbine, however, occasionally leaf miners will cause unsightly foliage. After blooming is finished, cut the damaged foliage to the ground and let the plants regrow. By this time the leaf miners are gone.

Red Columbine grows in the Dry Rock Habitat in the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum. Open to the public, parking for the Arboretum is at 611 S. Ella Ave. in Sandpoint, ID. It is described and pictured on page 146 of the KNPS publication, Landscaping with Native Plants in the Idaho Panhandle, available at local bookstores and the Bonner County History Museum.

Native Plant Notes are created by the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society. To learn more about KNPS and the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum, explore www.nativeplantsociety.org.