Scientific Name
Aquilegia barbaricina Arrigoni & E.Nardi
Common Name(s)
Barbaricina Columbine
Scientific Classification
Family: Ranunculaceae
Subfamily: Isopyroideae
Tribe: Isopyreae
Subtribe: Isopyrinae
Genus: Aquilegia
Flower
Color: White to white-pinkish
Bloom Time: May
Description
Aquilegia barbaricina is a rhizomatous plant with a subterraneous stout stem and aerial stems that grow up to 2 feet (60 cm) tall, covered with fine hair, branching in the upper part of the stem into 3 to 5, nearly leafless flower stalks. The leaf petioles are divided once or twice (rarely three times), each division resulting in either a further set of 3 leaf-bearing stems or (at a higher level) 3 leaflets. The cauline leaves have short petioles and are smaller. Leaflets are trilobate with nearly rounded teeth on their outer edge. The pedicel is curved during flowering, which occurs in May. The perianth is white to white-pinkish, the sepals lanceolate and up to 0.3 inches (8 mm) wide. Each petal has a slightly curved spur pointing straight upwards. Fruits are erect capsules produced in June.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 8a to 9b: from 10 °F (−12.2 °C) to 30 °F (−1.1 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Columbnie plants can handle full sun. The combination of heat and dry soil they don't like and mulching will help alleviate that. They will self-sow, but new plants can be lost if the summer gets too hot. Also, plants tend to be short-lived, fading out within three years. Hedge your bets and save some seed to sow in the fall or falling spring. Keep in mind that Columbine varieties readily cross-pollinate. If you plant more than one variety, be prepared to see new colors and combinations. If self-sowing becomes a nuisance, shear the plants back in mid-summer to prevent seed pods from forming.
You can start Columbine from seed or plant. Seeds can be direct sown throughout spring. The seeds need light to germinate, so simply press them on the soil surface and barely cover them with soil. Since Columbine is a perennial, it will take two years from planting the seeds for them to bloom.
See more at: How to Grow and Care for Columbine.
Origin
This species is endemic to Italy, occurring only on the island of Sardinia.
Links
- Back to genus Aquilegia
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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