Red Columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
Flowers form the most interesting shapes and vibrant colors.
Red columbine’s flowers face downward which is usually described as nodding. They are red and yellow with five long petal spurs. The spurs have a bulbous tip at the end and if you look up into the flower you’ll see a yellow cup at the beginning of the spur. The petal-like sepals spread out between each spur. There is a central tuft of stamens and styles protruding. The leaves are compound with nine round-lobed leaflets, and they are mostly basal on tall leafstalks.
The genus name Aquilegia is a Roman term, which refers to either water-bearing or eagle claws (Cascade Olympic Natural History, Daniel Mathews). The spurred petals resemble an eagle's talons.
In Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast it says: “The common name is derived from Latin columbina meaning ‘dove-like.’ The arched petals and spurs of the flowers resemble a quintet of doves arranged in a ring around a dish (a favourite device of ancient artists).”
It has been flowering for a few weeks and is starting to go to seed. The new seed pods are fuzzy and green with a long pointy tip. They are usually 5 clustered together with a papery crown ringed around the base. From above it resembles a star.
You can see them growing in the Patricia Baker wildflower garden. While I was looking at this plant, a bumblebee, a hummingbird, a small bee and a moth were visiting this plant.
