Aquilegia × Hybrida

The Ranunculaceae offers a number of ornamental flowering plants. Among them is Aquilegia × hybrida Sims. About 70 Aquilegia species are native to the temperate and mountain regions of the northern hemisphere. ¹ Aquilegia caerulea, A. longissima, A. chrysantha, A. canadensis, and A. vulgaris have been interbred to create the hybrids commonly grown in gardens today. ⁶ Cultivars with hooked spurs usually indicate hybridization of the European A. vulgaris, and those with long, straight spurs, hybridization of the North American A. caerulea and A. chrysantha. ¹ The derivation of the common name columbine comes from “columba”, Latin for dove, which the spurred flowers resemble. The genus name, Aquilegia, is derived from the Latin “aquilla”, for eagle, alluding to the claw-like curve at the end of each spur of A. vulgaris. ¹³