Yellow Columbine brings sweet beauty to gardens

While everyone agrees that Yellow Columbine (Aquilegia flavescens) is a delightful perennial, there are a variety of explanations for its name.

Yellow Columbine flowers, with their curved spurs, have been said to resemble the talons of an eagle … or the wings. It is most often presumed that the genus name Aquilegia comes from Latin “aquila,”eagle. Another interpretation holds that Aquilegia derives from the Greek “aqua,” water, and “legere,” to draw or collect, referring to the wet habitat some species prefer or to the abundant liquid nectar found in the spurs.

The common name Columbine is also from Latin for “dove.” The five petals with their broad blades and curved spurs somewhat resemble a cluster of five doves, head down, tails up. The species name flavescens means “becoming yellow” and refers to the cream-to-yellow dominant coloring of the blossom.

Mounds of tap-rooted Yellow Columbine are found abundantly in open woods, alpine meadows and on mountain slopes from the Cascades to the Rockies, south through central Utah and north into southeastern BC and southwestern Alberta. It grows usually at slightly higher elevations than Red Columbine (Aquilegia formosa), the other native common to the same area. Occasionally the species are found together where they will hybridize creating color variations of yellow tinged with pink.

The delicate green leaves of Yellow Columbine branch freely and rise mostly from a woody stem base on long stalks. Leaves and stalks may be either smooth or covered in fine hairs. Leaves are divided into three leaflets on short stalks. Each leaflet has deep indents creating rounded lobes, again most commonly in threes. The underside of the leaves is usually bluer or grayer than the tops. Leaves along the stalks are fewer and smaller than basal leaves.

Appearing in early summer, Yellow Columbine blossoms nod gracefully on slender stalks up to three feet above the foliage. They are arranged in loose clusters with individual flowers opening throughout the season. Striking in appearance, the flowers consist of 5 lance-shaped sepals, usually light yellow in color, spreading perpendicularly from between five yellow petals. The petals are tube shaped with a flaring, rounded blade and a long, inward curving spur with a small bulb on the end. Multiple colorful yellow headed stamens extend from the center beyond the petals.

Once pollinated, often by hummingbirds or bumblebees seeking nectar, the flowers fade leaving upright green capsules (follicles), usually five. These mature and split open along the inside spilling many small, round, black seeds. While native columbines are hardy perennials, they are often short lived. Letting them go to seed in your garden will help maintain the bed.

Columbines thrive with partial to full sun in acidic soil that is moderately moist. Their lacy foliage and enchanting blooms are an attractive addition to rock gardens, perennial gardens and pollinator gardens. Don't plant them in your vegetable garden as they emit substances that inhibit the growth of other plants, especially legumes.

The flowers, eaten in moderation are apparently non-toxic and have been added to fresh greens. They taste sweet due to the nectar in the spur. The seeds and roots, however, contain cardiogenic toxins which may cause gastroenteritis and heart palpitations. A salve made from crushed seed has anti-parasitic qualities and has been used on head lice.

Yellow Columbine, a member of the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), grows in the Medicinal Garden of the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum, 611 S Ella St. in Sandpoint. Pictures and a description are found in “Landscaping with Native Plants in the Idaho Panhandle,” a KNPS publication available at local bookstores and the Bonner County History Museum.

Native Plant Notes are created by the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society. To learn more about KNPS and the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum, go online to nativeplantsociety.org.