Aquilegia L.
Columbine
Aquilegia is the genus containing columbines, of which there are about 70 naturally occurring species. Aquila, Italian for “eagle,” refers to the talon-shaped spurs on the flower petals. Columbines are members of the Ranunculaceae, or buttercup, family. Columbines are popular among gardeners, and there are many cultivars available.
Online References:
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Some aquilegias. |
Columbine (Aquilegia) · Natural hybrids? · 6/2/2009 · Zion National Park, Utah · ≈ 2 × 2½″ (5.4 × 6.1 cm) 
Species not yet identified 
(Aquilegia) · 5/8/2021 · Devil’s Back Trail, Orr’s Island, Maine · ≈ 3 × 4½″ (8.2 × 11 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others |
| Order | Ranunculales | Basal (evolved earlier) eudicots, also called “true dicots” |
| Family | Ranunculaceae | Buttercup family |
| Genus | Aquilegia | From Latin aquila, or “eagle,” for the flower’s resemblence to an eagle’s claw |
Aquilegia description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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