Wild Columbine - Aquilegia canadensis
Above: Wild Columbine along shore of retaining pond on corner of Nakoma Road and Manitou Way in Madison, Wisconsin (5/29/19).
Wild Columbine - Aquilegia canadensis
The native columbine found in Wisconsin has intricately shaped, downward-facing, five-parted, 1 1/4" blossoms that are a brilliant rose/red to orange color on the outside and yellow on the inside.
Other names include: Canadian or Canada columbine, eastern red columbine or wild red columbine.
Aquilegia: pronounced "ah-qwi-LEE-gee-ah" from Latin aquila, "an eagle." This refers to the shape of the petals which is said to resemble an eagle's claw.
For more information on Columbine, visit Wikipedia.
Or, visit the UW-Madison Wisconsin Master Gardener website page on Wild Columbine.
Or, visit the UW-Madison Wisconsin State Herbarium website page about Columbine - Aquilegia canadensis.
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Above: Wild Columbine in the Oak Savanna in the U.W. Arboretum in Madison, Wisconsin. (6/03/19)
Above: Wild Columbine along shore of retaining pond on corner of Nakoma Road and Manitou Way in U.W. Arboretum. (6/05/19)
Above: Wild Columbine in the Thoreau Rain Garden (6/01/20)
Above: Wild Columbine by UW Arboretum Visitors Center (5/15/21)
Above: Wild Columbine by UW Arboretum Visitors Center (5/25/21)
Above: Purple Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) along stone wall near sidewalk on Nakoma Road. This species is native to Europe. It was introduced to the United States and has escaped gardens and naturalized in parts of North America (5/29/22).
Above: 1919 Columbine illustration by Mary Vaux Walcott. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist.
Above: Columbine (Aquilegia truncata/Aquilegia carulea) illustration by Alice Lounsberry circa 1899.
