HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Aquilegia alpina'', often called the alpine columbine or breath of God, is a
perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...
species of
flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
in the family
Ranunculaceae Ranunculaceae (, buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin "little frog", from "frog") is a family (biology), family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide. The largest genera are ''Ranunculus'' (600 spec ...
, native to the western and central Alps. Though rare in its Swiss, Austrian, and Italian range, it is commonly found in the French
Maritime Alps The Maritime Alps ( ; ) are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between the regions of France, French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and the regions of Italy, Italian regions of Piedmont and Liguria ...
. ''A. alpina'' is appreciated for its light blue to blue-purple flowers. The species has been in cultivation for several centuries, but plants sold as ''A. alpina'' are often hybrids with other ''Aquilegia'' species or different columbine species entirely. True ''A. alpina'' plants possess straight or slightly curved nectar spurs, distinguishing it from other species and hybrids with hooked spurs. At long, these spurs are the longest of any Eurasian member of the genus ''
Aquilegia ''Aquilegia'', commonly known as columbines, is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae (buttercups). The genus includes between 80 and 400 taxa (described species and subspecies) with natural Species distribution, rang ...
''.


Description

''Aquilegia alpina'' is a
perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...
that grows to between and tall. Leaves are biternate and in a basal arrange (growing from the base of the stem). The lower portions of the stems are pilose and the upper portions are densely pubescent. The middle leaflets are between and long and between and wide. They are petioluled. Plants feature between one and three (occasionally up to 5) flowers per stem. Each flower is nodding. The flowers are bright light blue to blue-purple, measuring across. The species's nectar spurs at the tip of the flower is straight or only slightly curved, and are the longest of the Eurasian species of ''
Aquilegia ''Aquilegia'', commonly known as columbines, is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae (buttercups). The genus includes between 80 and 400 taxa (described species and subspecies) with natural Species distribution, rang ...
'' at . The spreading
sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...
s range in shape from lance-ovate to wider and are between and long. The plant's flowers are considered to possess unusual beauty. Robert Nold described the American botanist Philip A. Munz as having "almost broke down completely" when Munz described ''A. alpina'' as "one of the most beautiful of all the ''Aquilegias''". The British botanist Reginald Farrer was similarly appreciative of the flower's appearance.


Taxonomy

The species was first described as ''Aquilegia alpina'' in 1753 by
Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
in his ''
Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genus, genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial nomenclature ...
''. He described the type locality as
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. In 1882, a specimen was identified as a variant of '' Isopyrum thalictroides'' and given the name ''I. thalictroides'' var. ''insignis'' by Gibelli and Pirotta. However, this specimen was reevaluated by Maria Adele Signorini and Enio Nardi in 1999 and identified as an example of ''A. alpina''. They attributed this false identification to the absence lack of spurs on the specimen's sole flower. Since the specimen was the
type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wikt:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to ancho ...
and only known specimen of ''I. thalictroides'' var. ''insignis'', Signorini and Nardi said that name should be considered a heterotypic nomenclature synonym of ''A. alpina''. The nectar spurs of ''A. alpina'' are the longest of Eurasian species of ''Aquilegia''. Among these species, nectar spur length varies little and there is no evidence of evolution to exploit
hawkmoth The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as hornworms. It includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, but species ar ...
pollination. ''A. alpina''s spurs are shorter than those of the shortest hawkmoth-pollinated North American member of the genus, '' Aquilegia pubescens'', which has spurs that can reach long. A 2007 study by Justen B. Whittall and Scott A. Hodges attributed this discrepancy in nectar spur length between Eurasian and North American ''Aquilegia'' species despite the presence of hawkmoths in both ranges to the absence of
hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Cen ...
s in Eurasia. Whittall and Hodges theorized that hummingbirds served as a "stepping stone" to nectar spur elongation adapted to hawkmoth pollination. The word '' columbine'' derives from the Latin word '' columbinus'', meaning "dove", a reference to the flowers' appearance of a group of doves. The genus name ''
Aquilegia ''Aquilegia'', commonly known as columbines, is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae (buttercups). The genus includes between 80 and 400 taxa (described species and subspecies) with natural Species distribution, rang ...
'' may come from the Latin word for "eagle", '' aquila'', in reference to the pedals' resemblance to eagle talons. ''Aquilegia'' may also derive from , which is Latin for "to collect water", or '' aquilegium'', a Latin word for a container of water. The specific name ''alpina'' references the plant's native habitat of mountain meadows, as the German word ''Alp'' refers to these meadows. The plant has been commonly referred to both as the "alpine columbine" and the "breath of God".


Distribution and habitat

The species is native to subalpine regions of France, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy, at altitudes from , typically in rocky areas and stony pastures with carbonate bedrock. In the subalpine meadows of southwestern Switzerland, Austria, and northwestern Italy, the plant is rare. However, it is present with greater commonality in the
Maritime Alps The Maritime Alps ( ; ) are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between the regions of France, French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and the regions of Italy, Italian regions of Piedmont and Liguria ...
of France.


Ecology

''Aquilegia alpina'' flowers from July to September, and is pollinated by bees. Hybrid ''A. alpina'' with hooked nectar spurs that were cultivated in the United States have been observed being foraged by the moth species '' Hemaris thysbe''.


Pests and diseases

The flowers are known to be attacked by the gall midge species '' Macrolabis aquilegiae'' and the aphid '' Nasonovia werderi''. Most recorded parasites of ''A. alpina'' attack the leaves: the leaf miner '' Phytomyza minuscula'' and cabbage whitefly '' Aleyrodes proletella'', the
oomycete The Oomycetes (), or Oomycota, form a distinct phylogenetic lineage of fungus-like eukaryotic microorganisms within the Stramenopiles. They are filamentous and heterotrophic, and can reproduce both sexually and asexually. Sexual reproduction o ...
'' Peronospora aquilegiicola'' which causes the disease Aquilegia
downy mildew Downy mildew refers to any of several types of oomycete microbes that are obligate parasites of plants. Downy mildews exclusively belong to the Peronosporaceae family. In commercial agriculture, they are a particular problem for growers of c ...
, and the fungi '' Erysiphe aquilegiae'' var. ''aquilegiae'' (causing
powdery mildew Powdery mildew is a fungus, fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of Ascomycota, ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant disea ...
), '' Puccinia actaeae-elymi'', and '' Puccinia agrostidis''.


Conservation

, the
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...
listed ''Aquilegia alpina'' as Least Concern (LC). This status was last reviewed on . In Switzerland, it is listed as fully protected in the
Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
,
Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.Grisons The Grisons (; ) or Graubünden (),Names include: * ; *Romansh language, Romansh: ** ** ** ** ** **; * ; * ; * . See also list of European regions with alternative names#G, other names. more formally the Canton of the Grisons or the Canton ...
,
Obwalden Canton of Obwalden or Obwald ( ; ; ; ) is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of seven municipalities and the seat of the government and parliament is in Sarnen. It is traditio ...
,
Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts ...
, and
Uri Uri may refer to: Places * Canton of Uri, a canton in Switzerland * Úri, a village and commune in Hungary * Uri, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province * Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, a town in India * Uri (island), off Malakula Island in V ...
cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, th ...
.


Cultivation

''Aquilegia alpina'' has a long history of cultivation and was a common offering by 1946. Most plants sold as ''A alpina'' are instead crosses between multiple ''Aquilegia'' species, a phenomenon common across the genus and the result of hundreds of years of cultivation. By 1946, Munz said that supposed "''A. alpina''" plants were generally hybridizations incorporating ''
Aquilegia vulgaris ''Aquilegia vulgaris'' is a species of perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Aquilegia'' (columbine) in the family Ranunculaceae. Commonly called the common columbine, European crowfoot, and granny's bonnet, it presently possesses the most exp ...
''; this lineage is discernible in the hooked nectar spurs typical of these plants. Other plants labeled ''A. alpina'' were instead '' Aquilegia bertolonii''. Nold noted that Munz's observations remained true in 2003.


References


External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1417767
alpina Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH & Co. KG is an automobile manufacturing company based in Buchloe, in the Ostallgäu district of Bavaria, Germany that develops and sells high-performance versions of BMW cars. Alpina works closely with BMW and t ...
Flora of France Flora of Switzerland Flora of Austria Flora of Italy Flora of the Alps Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Plants described in 1753