Columbines!!!

This weeks plant is Aquilegia or more commonly called columbines. This genus is a member of the Ranunculaceae (buttercup) family which have a variety of growth forms. Most members in this family have 5 petals and many stamens with some members in this family having modified petals that form a nectar spur. There are three species found in California but many species are grown for ornamental use and can be found at your local nursery.

This past weekend I was in beautiful Park City, UT and everywhere I went these flowers were planted in gardens and flower beds. I didn't want to pick a few flowers from someones garden, so I was forced to guerrilla key (id via photos) the ones I saw. I was unsuccessful.

In this photo you can see the long spur or modified petals. At the bottom of the spur is the nectary where the pollinator inserts it tongue to lick up the delicious sugar water. As you can see they need a long tongue!
Also, if you gather all the spurs and bite them off, you can have a sweet treat. This works especially well when there have been no floral visitors to the flower. The entire flowers is edible so you can eat that too. One often finds them in edible flower packets sold at Whole foods or co-ops.
This genus are my favorite in this family. This family is very diverse in the different flower morphs and can be tricky to identify. Another member, Delphinium, also has a spur but the largest member Ranunculus looks more like a buttercup. As you can see below, Aquilegia has quite a distinct shape and once you recognise this morph, you will never be mistaken again.