Common name: Columbine
Family: Ranunculaceae, Buttercup
Height x width: 18"-4' x 1-2'
Growth rate: moderate
Foliage: basal, alternate on flower stem, compound, green to blue-green
Flowers: terminal, long hollow spurs; most colors and bicolors; spring, early summer
Hardiness: 3-8 or 9
Soil: moist, rich
Light: part shade
Pests and problems: leaf miner, slugs
Landscape habit, uses: woodland, native plantings, front to mid border, accent
Other interest: genus from Latin aquila for eagle from flower spurs resembling eagle claws; often hybridize
Other culture: often self sows
Propagation: seed common (cold treat 6 weeks, 40F), division of plantlets
Species:
akitensis: flabellata var. pumila
alpina(al-pine' ah)--Alpine Columbine, zones 3-8, 1-3' x 2', blue flowers in spring, gray-green foliage
atrata(ah-trah' tah)--2-3' tall, 1-2" wide nodding purple-violet flowers, hardy to zone 4, like nigrescens
bertolonii(ber-toe-lone' ee-ii)--Alpine Rock Columbine, 4-9" tall, rich violet-blue flowers
buergeriana(boo-er-ger-ee-aa' nah)--1-2' tall, nodding flowers with dull yellow petals, purple sepals and spurs (short)
caerulea(sare-oo' lee-ah)--Rocky Mountain Columbine, zones 3-8, 1-2' x 2', blue/white 2" upright flowers in spring, long lasting in the garden, straight or outward curving spurs, state flower of Colorado
canadensis(can-ah-den' sis)--Canadian Columbine, zones 3-8, 2-3' x 1', yellow/red flowers 1.5" and nodding in early spring, found in moist shade across eastern North America, less susceptible to leaf miner, self sows readily
chrysantha(crah-san' thah)--Golden Columbine, zones 4-8, 2-4' x 1', yellow flowers 2-3" wide with 3" long spurs, no staking with sufficient moisture
clematiflora(cle-mah-tih-floor' ah)--zones 5-8, 20" x 12", reddish-purple flowers early summer, spurless
einseliana(iin-sell-ee-aa' nah)--Alpine Columbine, smaller than alpina, nodding blue-violet flowers, shorter spurs
elegantula(ell-eh-gan' tu-lah)--zones 5-8, 24" x 12", rose sepals with greenish tips, yellow petals with short spurs
flabellata(fla-bell-aa' tah)--Fan Columbine, zones 3-9, 8-18" x 1', blue to lilac flowers with curved to hooked spurs, leaves with overlapping segments and bluish tinge
formosa(for-moe' sah)--Formosa Columbine, western U.S. native like canadensis
fragrans(fraa' grans)--Fragrant Columbine (slightly scent, also of cat), zones 5-8, 15-30" x 12", white to pale yellow or blue-green
glandulosa(gla-du-loe' sah) (transsilvanica)--Siberian Columbine, similar to flabellata
x helenae(heh-leh-nee') ('Helenae')--hybrid with blue and white flowers of caerulea, short and long spurs of flabellata
x hybrida(hi-brih-dah')--Hybrid Columbine, zones 3-9, 18"-3' x 1', various colors in spring, long- and short -spurred cultivars with long-spurred most popular; long-spurred hybrids of canadensis, chrysantha, caerulea and formosa; short- spurred hybrids of long-spurred and vulgaris
laramiensis(lar-ah-me-en' sis)--Rocky Mountain native, small white flowers, 6-9" rock garden plant
longissima(lon-giss' eh-mah)--Longspur Columbine, zones 4-8, 2-3' x 2', pale yellow flowers with 4" spurs in early summer, native of SE U.S., often short-lived
olympica(oe-lym' pih-ka)--zones 5-8, 24" x 12", white petals and bluish-purple sepals, for moist well-drained soils
ottonis (oe-toe' nis)subsp. amaliae(a-mah' lee)--zones 5-8, 15" x 12", white spurred petals, blue sepals, damp sites
oxysepala(ox-ee-see' pah-lah)--like buergeriana, 2-3' tall, claret sepals and yellow petals, hooked spurs
pyrenaica(pie-re-naa' eh-ka)--Pyrennees Columbine, like enseliana only nodding spurs
viridiflora(vir-eh-di-floor' ah)--Green Columbine, chocolate petals and yellow-green sepals on 1' plants with blue-green foliage
vulgaris(vul-gair' iss)--Granny's Bonnet, zones 3-8, 1.5-2' x 1', blue flowers in spring to early summer, short incurved spurs
yabeana(yah-bee-aa' nah)--zones 5-8, 12-20" x 10", pinkish-purple
or reddish flowers, small delicate clump for organic soil
Cultivars:
| Cultivars, other taxa | species | flowers | other | |
| 'Adelaide Addison' | vulgaris | purple/ white double | same as Nora's Sister | |
| var. alba | vulgaris | white, single | ||
| 'Alba' | alpina | white | dark green foliage,shorter | |
| f. alba | flabellata | creamy white tinged pink | common | |
| 'Alba-plena' | chrysantha | pale yellow, tinged pink | ||
| 'Altrosa' | vulgaris | antique pink | 24" tall | |
| 'Anemonaeflora' | vulgaris | ruby-red, spurless | 24" tall, anemone-like | |
| Biedermeier group | blue/white, other | 9-12", Nose Gay C. | ||
| 'Blue Star' | vulgaris | blue and white | 24" tall | |
| 'Blue Tone' | caerulea | blue and white | 30" tall, zone 5 minimum | |
| 'Burgundy Double': 'Double Rubies' | ||||
| 'Cap de Rossiter' | vulgaris | pink/white dahlia-like | 2-3' tall, persistent | |
| 'Casper Innes' | flabellata | lavender blue | 4-6" tall | |
| 'Clematiflora': var. stellata | vulgaris | |||
| 'Corbett' | canadensis | pale yellow | 8-10" high | |
| 'Crimson Star' | crimson/white | 2 1/2 ft | ||
| 'Double Rubies' | maroon, double | 3' tall | ||
| 'Dragonfly' | mix | 18-24" tall | ||
| 'Dynasty': 'Song Birds' | ||||
| 'Fairyland Mix' | mix | short-spurs,upright,dwarf | ||
| var. flore-pleno | vulgaris | deep purple, double petals | ||
| 'Grandmother's Garden' | vulgaris | rose, violet, wine red | 30-36" tall,late spring | |
| 'Heidi' | vulgaris | pink | 28" tall, late spring | |
| 'Hensol Harebell' | deep blue, branched | spring to early summer | ||
| var. hinckleyana | chrysantha | yellow | Texas native, compact | |
| var. jaeschkanii | chrysantha | yellow, red spurs | 1.5' tall | |
| var. jucunda | glandulosa | white | like flabellata 'Alba' | |
| 'Koralle' | coral-pink, long spurs | 30-36" tall | ||
| 'Kristall' | pure white, large | 24" tall, zone 5 minimum | ||
| f. kurilensis | flabellata | blue or blue/white | 4" dwarf | |
| 'Maxistar' | longissima | yellow | larger fls than species | |
| McKana group | mix | 24",large fls,long spurs | ||
| 'Mellow Yellow' | white or pale blue | 20" tall, golden foliage | ||
| 'Mini-Star' | flabellata | blue sepals, white petals | 6-8" rock garden cv. | |
| 'Mrs. Nicholls' | caerulea | blue,whitish blue inner | old cultivar, scarce | |
| Mrs. Scott Elliott hybrids | many | older before McKanas | ||
| 'Munstead White':'Nivea' | vulgaris | |||
| Music series | mix | like Song Birds, compact | ||
| var. nana | chrysantha | yellow | 1.5' tall | |
| var. nana | flabellata | blue sepals, white petals | may be Mini-Star | |
| 'Nana Alba':var. pumila f. albaflabellata | ||||
| Nivea ('Munstead White') | vulgaris | white, single | pale gray foliage, 3' | |
| 'Nora Barlow' | vulgaris | red-pink, white margins | double like dahlias | |
| var. ochroleuca ('Albiflora') | caerulea | creamy white | similar to species | |
| Olympia strains | bicolor mix | |||
| 'Plena' | vulgaris | mix, doubles | 36" tall | |
| 'Plum Pudding' | vulgaris | plum-violet, double, short spurs | 30" tall | |
| var. pumila (akitensis) | flabellata | blue and white | 10" tall, zone 4 | |
| var. pumila f. alba | flabellata | creamy white | smaller version of Alba | |
| 'Raspberry Tart' | vulgaris | raspberry-red, double | 24-30" | |
| 'Red Hobbit' | rose-red | selection of Crimson Star | ||
| 'Rotstern' (Red Star) | caerulea | red, white spurs | 28" tall, zone 5 minimum | |
| 'Ruby Port': 'Double Rubies' | ||||
| 'Silver Queen' | white | 3" wide flowers | ||
| 'Song Birds' ('Dynasty') | vibrant mix or singles | 2-3', bird names | ||
| 'Spring Song' | mix, some near doubles | 3' tall, 3" spurs | ||
| var. stellata ('Clematiflora) | vulgaris | pink to red, spurless | 2' tall, nodding flowers | |
| var. superba | alpina | blue | larger than species | |
| 'Trevor Bath' | vulgaris | white, rose spurs/sepals | short-spurs, semi-double | |
| var. truncata (A. eximia) | formosa | yellow/red | smaller petals than sp. | |
| 'Variegata' | vulgaris | blue, white or purple | yellow marbled foliage | |
| 'Variegata': A. vulgaris | verbaeneana | |||
| 'Windswept' | deep blue | 12-15" tall, short spurs | ||
| 'Woodside': 'Variegata' | vulgaris | |||
| 'Yellow Queen' | chrysantha | lemon-yellow | 2-3" wide flowers |
©Authored by Dr. Leonard Perry, Professor, University of Vermont as part of PSS123 course.
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