''Aquilegia desertorum'', the desert columbine, 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

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

Description

The desert columbine is a small species growing to in height, and has nodding red flowers with yellow centre petals. The stamens extend beyond the centre petals, and are yellow in colour. The flower spurs are red in colour, broad at the base, and straight. Unlike most other columbine species, it does not have an upright habit.

Taxonomy

''Aquilegia desertorum'' is very close to ''

Aquilegia canadensis ''Aquilegia canadensis'', the Canadian or Canada columbine, eastern red columbine, or wild columbine, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is an herbaceous perennial native to woodland and rocky slopes in easte ...

'' and may not be truly distinct at species level. Plants from the eastern and southern parts of its range have sometimes been considered a distinct species, ''Aquilegia triternata'', largely based on their longer sepals and petal blades, but in central Arizona the two varieties become hard to distinguish, and ''A. triternata'' is therefore usually considered a synonym of ''A. desertorum''.

Etymology

The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

'' desertorum'' means "of deserts" in Latin.

Distribution and habitat

''Aquilegia desertorum'' is native to

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, and southwest

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

. It inhabits open rocky

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

areas at altitudes of , where seepage or other moisture is present.

Ecology

The flowering period is from May to October. The species is primarily pollinated by

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 ...

Conservation

NatureServe NatureServe, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, US, that provides proprietary wildlife conservation-related data, tools, and services to private and government clients, partner organizations, and ...

listed ''Aquilegia desertorum'' as Apparently secure (G4) overall and in Arizona, but Critically Imperiled (S1) in Utah and in the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation (), also known as Navajoland, is an Indian reservation of Navajo people in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. The seat of government is located in ...

Uses

The Kayenta

Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...

used ''Aquilegia desertorum'' as an aid in ceremonies.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q15365775 desertorum Flora of Utah Flora of Arizona Flora of New Mexico Plants described in 1901