North American Columbines - starting with Aquilegia saximontana

[McDonough]

I read Barbara's short post on the ease of growing A. jonesii here in New England. I've been trying for 15 years to get one stinking bloom, and I have yet to even get one to survive more than one winter. I know that Harvey Wrightman has them blooming their little heads off after direct seeding them into a bed of tufa and crushed tufa, but so far he's the only person I know who's not growing them in the west who seems able to bloom them with regularity. Other than Barbara, of course. So if anyone out there can suggest a method for me, I'd greatly appreciate it. At this point it is the only Aquilegia I've been unable to grow successfully and flower.

Worth experimenting and taking the cue from Harvey, sow some seed in some of that nice tufa you have, sowing directly into some pockets drilled out and filled with some crushed tufa.  Barbara said she donated seed to NARGS this year, so it'll be available.  I won't get any because once again, I missed the seed donation deadline, so with seed exchange second pickings, I'm sure this treasure will be gone quickly in the first round. 

I found an article about Aquilegia jonesii in an old ARGS Bulletin, I will post here as a pertinent addition to this discussion.

[McDonough]

Hey rock-garden-Aquilegia fans, I chanced upon the following article in the Bulletin of the American Rock garden Society, Vol.49, No.1, Winter 1991, pp 60-65, entitled Variations in Aquilegia jonesii by Jerry DeSanto.  What strikes me about this article is how our notions of many plants are entrenched or locked down by a single impression, naturally Aquilegia jonesii is a deep blue-flowered species right? 

This article helps illuminate some of the beautiful variability of this species.   It also describes the putative hybrid A. jonesii x flavescens (with photo too) and shows a gorgeous dwarf A. flavescens form.  The latter species, A. flavescens is one of the unsung gems of North American columbine; I've examined indescribably beautiful swarms growing on talus slopes in Washington State, the plants were covered with yellow to salmon colored blooms.  I remember thinking, why aren't rock gardeners clamoring for this species?  Often this is a taller plant, but the dwarf forms are to die for.

In fair use, I have scanned and reposted here.

[McDonough]

This post in reference to plants going around for decades as Aquilegia jonesii x saximontana, which by this point in time, are invariably hybrids between other species such as A. pyrenaica and nothing to do with the two original species.

There's an article about this hybrid cross published in the Bulletin of the American Rock Garden Society, Vol. 38, Summer 1980, N0.3, pp. 113-114, "A Dwarf Aquilegia Hybrid", by Trevor Cole, Ottawa Research Station, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.  In the article, Trevor reports on his experience growing seed of A. jonesii which had been collected on the Big Horn Mountains.  In the ensuring years growing and flowering A. jonesii, the only other columbine close by was A. saximontana, reported as 6' (2 m) away.  From seed harvested off his own A. jonesii plants and sown in January 1976, about 40 seedlings were grown on.  In the batch of seedlings, two different forms appeared. Most plants were typical in growth to saximontana, but 5 plants were characteristic of jonesii.  Almost all plants "bloomed profusely in the summer of 1977", and "seed was collected in quite large amounts and sent to the ARGS seed exchange listed as A. jonesii x saximontan".  So indeed, the cross did exist at one point in time.

Surely 33 years hence, with the genus Aquilegia's well known promiscuity, unless any of these hybrids were grown absolutely isolated, there is almost no chance that anything close to the unadulterated cross between the two species exists today. It is also important to note, that the seed that was initially distributed, was itself variable, from hybrid plants that already showed a couple different growth characteristics.

Almost everything bearing the name of this cross (and sometimes you can see it listed the other way around) look to be dwarf forms and/or hybrids of A. pyrenaica.

[McDonough]

I have the pleasure to post some beautiful photos of Aquilegia saximontana taken by Jane Hendrix, of Breckenridge, Colorado, a purveyor and wonderful photographer of North American native flora, particularly Rocky Mountain alpines.  One can only imagine what it must be like to live and garden at 10,000' elevation, in such close proximity to an amazing alpine flora.  Her extensive photo albums in the following link show many wonderful Rocky Mountain wildflowers and alpines.  We hope to see Jane here on the NARGS Forum soon.
http://www.picturetrail.com/hendrix

It is my privilege to show these photos that capture the unique essence and characteristic of the true A. saximontana.  Here again, what we see is the dwarf yet upright billowy foliage of the plant, and the small soft blue and white flared flowers with splayed (divergent) spurs.

[McDonough]

Following up on the previous post with lovely photos of A. saximontana by Jane Hendrix, Breckenridge, Colorado, USA, Jane has given me permission to post photos of a dwarf form of Aquilegia caerulea found locally among unnamed peaks that surround her 10,000' elevation home.  Rather than paraphrase Jane's description, she describes it well, so here it is:

"Every plant shown was grown from seed I collected at 11,600 feet in the boulder field on the slope of Peak 6 so they are not accidental hybrids.  To be certain this dwarf form [of A. caerulea] was genetically dwarf and not environmentally dwarf, I sited the plants in rich, moist soil.  They all grew lusher, fuller and taller than the ones in the wild but still would be classified as dwarf.  In one photo, you can see the plant's height in relation to the red Darwin tulips (the tulips get to about 20 inches tall in my garden).  The dwarf A. caerulea flowers are as large as the "regular" A. caerulea.  This particular group of seeds produced light blue and white blossoms but since collecting them, I have seen similar dwarf A. caerulea in a nearby rock field with the typical, deeper blue sepals.  When grown side-by-side with the common (pure) A. caerulea, they don't have a chance to hybridize because the dwarf form blooms much earlier than the other one and by the time the tall one has pollen, the little one is making seed."

Thanks Jane for allowing forumists to view this rarely seen variant of Colorado's most famous plant.

[McDonough]

This dwarf version of A. caerulea might be regarded as A. caerulea var. alpina.

Aquilegia caerulea var. alpina A. Nels. is a recognized variety, in ITIS, USDA, and in Flora of North America (FONA).  The problem is USDA reports var. alpina from Wyoming and Utah (not Colorado) and FONA reports var. alpina only occurring in Wyoming. Using the USDA species distribution, it would be conceivable this variety is also found in adjacent Colorado.
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=AQCOA
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500096

Tip: if searching for information or photos on the Colorado Columbine, use both alternate spellings; caerulea and coerulea.

Aquilegia coerulea photos, it seems that some A. coerulea var. coerulea photos show compact plants:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=aqco_004_ahp.jpg
http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=aqco_002_ahp.jpg
http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=aqcac2_001_ahp.tif

[Lori S.]

Here's our columbine of the mountains, Aquilegia flavescens - not so tiny as your little beauties, though!  It occurs in montane woods, and into the lower alpine, where, growing amongst the rocks, it is often somewhat dwarfed.
   
Some nice colour variations:
 

[RickR]

I really like that flower form, Lori.

[McDonough]

Those are absolute beauties Lori!  Years ago when scouting around the Wenatchee Mountains of Eastern Washington, I came across a talus slope covered with A. flavescens, in a form similar to the salmon-tinged ones you show as your "color variations" on the left side.  It burned an indelible impression on memory; I wondered why this species is relatively ignored compared to other North American columbines.  The glaucous foliage was compact, the whole plant in flower about 12-14" tall and as wide, with those really plump flowers with gracefully reflexed sepals.

It was said by a friend botanizing with me, that the salmon color forms might represent hybrids with A. formosa.  The Flora of North America site reports the following: "Aquilegia flavescens sometimes forms hybrid swarms with A. formosa var. formosa , which grows at lower elevations through much of its range. Intermediate specimens having pinkish red flowers and petal blades 5-6 mm are occasionally found where these species grow together. The name A. flavescens var. miniana has sometimes been mistakenly applied to these intermediates, but the type of var. miniana is a typical, pink-sepaled plant of A. flavescens".  The altitude range gets up there; 1300-3500 m.

Lori, I've never seen one quite so distinctly red and yellow like your last couple of images, true beauties they are.

The entry in Flora of North America (FNA) for A. flavescens:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500104
...distribution map:
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=5561&flora_id=1

The USDA and ITIS also accept A. flavescens var. rubicunda from Utah, although that combination and its synonym A. rubicunda are not addressed in FNA.
http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=184156
...US Forest Service page on A. flavescens and var. rubicunda
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/columbines/aquilegia_flavescens.shtml
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/rareplants/profiles/critically_imperiled/aquilegia_flavescens_var_rubicunda/index.shtml

*Footnote:  FNA refers to Aquilegia chrysantha var. miniana, whereas USDA and ITIS spell it Aquilegia flavescens var. miniata  A. Nels. & J.F. Macbr.  Is the entry in FNA an error?  

[Lori S.]

It was said by a friend botanizing with me, that the salmon color forms might represent hybrids with A. formosa.  The Flora of North America site reports the following: "Aquilegia flavescens sometimes forms hybrid swarms with A. formosa var. formosa , which grows at lower elevations through much of its range. Intermediate specimens having pinkish red flowers and petal blades 5-6 mm are occasionally found where these species grow together. The name A. flavescens var. miniana has sometimes been mistakenly applied to these intermediates, but the type of var. miniana is a typical, pink-sepaled plant of A. flavescens".  The altitude range gets up there; 1300-3500 m.

Yes, I've often wondered about that.  Flora of Alberta, in the entry for A. formosa, mentions hybrids with A. flavescens , and that A. formosa occurs at somewhat lower elevations.  The range map shows A. formosa having a rather limited range, farther north than this area. 

Could any of the local experts comment on the likelihood of said hybrids occurring in the mountains west of Calgary?

[Hoy]

I wouldn't mind growing any of these species regardless names! I have tried some of the yellow/orange/red North American species but they haven't been the easiest to satisfy Don't know what's wrong....

[Booker]

Could someone please suggest a name for this glorious aquilegia (hybrid) seen in Ev Whittemore's beautiful garden in NC?

[Lori S.]

Teh long spurs suggest an A. chrysantha hybrid (assuming it is definitely a hybrid).

[Booker]

Thanks Lori ... I presumed it to be a hybrid ... I shall investigate A. chrysantha ... it could well be the species.

Much appreciated.

[Lori S.]

A. longissima is another possibility.