Budburst Logo

A project of the Chicago Botanic Garden

  1. The Program
    1. Why Participate
  2. Projects
    1. Plants & Climate Change
    2. Plant-Animal Interactions
  3. Activities
    1. For Groups
    2. For Educators
    3. For Families
  1. Plants
    1. Intro to Plants
    2. Plant Groups
      1. Wildflower and Herbs
      2. Deciduous Trees and Shrubs
      3. Broadleaf Evergreens
      4. Conifers
      5. Grasses
    3. Budburst Species
  2. Data
  3. Groups
  4. Resources
    1. Getting Started
    2. Phenology
    3. Pollinators
    4. Participating in Groups
    5. Setup for Students
  5. Sign In
  6. Join Budburst
Home  /  Plants  /  Budburst Species  /  Aquilegia canadensis
Phenology Observations Sheet for Wildflowers and Herbs

COMMON NAME

Red columbine

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Aquilegia canadensis

ALSO KNOWN AS

Eastern columbine

PLANT FAMILY

Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae)

PLANT GROUP

Wildflowers and Herbs

Red columbines have red, tubular flowers that hang downwards with upward pointing claw-like spurs. They typically have leaves divided in threes which each have three lobes. Hummingbirds and bees are important pollinators of this species.
546 reports
144+
OBSERVERS
546+
OBSERVATIONS
!

Identification hints

Red columbines have red, tubular flowers that hang downwards with upward pointing claw-like spurs. They typically have leaves divided in threes which each have three lobes. Hummingbirds and bees are important pollinators of this species.

?

Did you know?

Eastern red columbine is pollinated by hummingbirds (notice the red, tubular flowers). In northern latitudes, bees are also important pollinators of this species. Seeds of the red columbine have been used for a variety of medicinal purposes, from treating kidney ailments to relieving rashes caused by poison ivy.

DISTRIBUTION IN THE U.S.
Alabama , Arkansas , Connecticut , Delaware , Florida , Georgia , Iowa , Illinois , Indiana , Kansas , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Maryland , Maine , Michigan , Minnesota , Missouri , Mississippi , North Carolina , North Dakota , Nebraska , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New York , Ohio , Oklahoma , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , South Carolina , South Dakota , Tennessee , Texas , Virginia , Vermont , Wisconsin , West Virginia
HABITAT
Eastern red columbine is found in well-lit areas on the edges of woodland areas, on open hillsides and bluffs, and even peat bogs. The plant is native to eastern and central North America, found as far north as Canada down to northern Florida, and west to Oklahoma and eastern Texas.
Attributes
Leaves
Leaves are deep green, compound, divided into rounded leaflets, which give them the distinctive buttercup appearance. Leaves are smooth on top, and fuzzy underneath.
Flowers
Flowers are showy and distinct. A single, nodding flower stems from leaf axils. Each flower has five red petals, which extend backward into long spurs with a slightly bulbous tip called a nectary where nectar is stored. The reproductive parts of the flower hang downward, and are bright yellow. Flowers bloom from April to July.
Fruits
The seed head is a beaked follicle (a seed pod that splits open along one side) just over 1 in (3 cm) in length, which opens to release seeds. Five of the pointed follicles are produced from each flower.

Do your part for our planet. Join Budburst today.

See menu
  1. The Program
    1. Why Participate
  2. Projects
    1. Plants & Climate Change
    2. Plant-Animal Interactions
  3. Activities
    1. For Groups
    2. For Educators
    3. For Families
  4. About us
    1. Staff & Sponsors
    2. Publications
    1. Plants
    2. Data
    3. Groups
    4. Resources

Stay Informed

Get the latest from Budburst with our weekly email newsletter.

Sign up for Email

Get In Touch

Have any questions or new ideas you'd like to share?

Contact Us

Budburst is a project of the
Chicago Botanic Garden

One of the treasures of the
Forest Preserves of Cook County

Creative Commons
BY-NC-SA 4.0

  1. Terms of Use
  2. Privacy Policy
  3. Data Sharing and Citation Policies
  4. 2020 Chicago Botanic Garden. All Rights Reserved.