Aquilegia canadensis L.

Red columbine, American columbine, Eastern columbine, Canada columbine, meetinghouses, rock bells, honeysuckle, rock lily, cluckies, jack-in-trousers, wild honeysuckle, granny’s bonnets, dancing fairies, wild columbine

About plant names...

Red columbine, one of the prettiest darned flowers I’ve ever seen, is native to North America. The genus Aquilegia means eagle-like, a reference to the talon-like spurs on the back of each flower. Columbines are related to buttercups. They are found in dry woods.

Identification: Plants are 12-36" (30-91 cm) high, with red to green stems. Leaves are at the base, with a few along the stem, divided into progressively smaller groups of two or three. They are up to 3" (7.6 cm) long. Leaves may be oval, but wider toward the ends; or rounded, with lobes or teeth. A single flower hangs downward from each stem. The flower has five symmetrical parts, and is about 1¼-2" (3.2-5 cm) in length. They vary from light pink to deep red in color, with yellow centers, and bloom from April to July. The spurs on the back of each flower are unique in shape, the best identifying characteristic. They favor forest floors and cliffs. See other columbines.

Edibility: Poisonous. The seeds and roots are highly poisonous, and the leaves of many other members of the buttercup family are poisonous.

Online References:

Aquilegia canadensis on Earl J.S. Rook's Flora, Fauna, Earth, and Sky ... The Natural History of the Northwoods

Aquilegia canadensis on Missouriplants.com

Aquilegia canadensis at Illinois Wildflowers

Aquilegia canadensis on the USDA Plants Database

Aquilegia canadensis at the University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Aquilegia canadensis on Discover Life

References:

Newcomb, Lawrence, Morrison, Gordon (Illus.), Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Little, Brown and Company, 1977, p. 228

Peterson, Roger Tory, McKenny, Margaret, Peterson Field Guides: A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North Central North America, Houghton Mifflin, 1968, p. 216

Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, 90

6/4/2017 · Lockes Hill, Gilford, New Hamp­shire
≈ 4½ × 7" (12 × 18 cm)

5/12/2021 · Weber-Kelly Preserve, Georgetown, Maine
≈ 4 × 5" (10 × 13 cm)

5/12/2021 · Weber-Kelly Preserve, Georgetown, Maine
≈ 4 × 3" (10 × 8.1 cm)

5/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 4" (12 × 10 cm)

5/27/2016 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Mass­a­chu­setts

6/4/2017 · Lockes Hill, Gilford, New Hamp­shire
≈ 7 × 10" (16 × 24 cm)

6/2/2009 · Zion National Park, Utah
≈ 3½ × 4" (8.7 × 10 cm)

5/12/2021 · Weber-Kelly Preserve, Georgetown, Maine
≈ 3½ × 5" (9.0 × 13 cm)

Aquilegia canadensis description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 14 Aug 2021.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

5/12/2021 · Weber-Kelly Preserve, Georgetown, Maine
≈ 3½ × 3½" (8.7 × 9 cm)

5/27/2016 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Mass­a­chu­setts

9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia Naitonal Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 21 cm)

5/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

5/27/2016 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Mass­a­chu­setts

5/23/2016 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hamp­shire

6/2/2014 · Big Bear Mountain, Brookline, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 1 × 5" (2.6 × 12 cm)

5/16/2014 · Acton Arboretum, Action, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3½ × 3½" (9.8 × 9.8 cm)

5/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4 × 3½" (10 × 9.2 cm)

6/2/2009 · Zion National Park, Utah
≈ 1½ × 1¾" (3.9 × 4.7 cm)

5/9/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3½ × 4" (9.2 × 10 cm)

Range: Zones 3-8:

About this map...