Aquilegia canadensis L., columbine. Perennial herb, rhizomatous and caudexlike, fibrous–rooted, several–stemmed at base, with ascending to spreading branches each with a lateral branch from successive nodes, in range to 55 cm tall; shoots with basal leaves and cauline leaves, leaves on long petioles conspicuously 3–parted, blades thin and easily wilted; rhizome ± vertical with encircling leaf scars, to 7 mm diameter; adventitious roots only from rhizome.
Stems cylindric, to 3 mm diameter, often reddish, pilose.
Leaves helically alternate, 2–pinnately 3–foliolate and long–petiolate (basal leaves) and 1–pinnately 3–foliolate and short–petiolate to subsessile (cauline leaves), with stipulelike structures on petiole; petiole of basal leaves ascending, cylindric, mostly < 150 mm long, purplish red to green and somewhat glaucous, at base with a pair of stipulelike wings 3—5 × 0.6—1 mm, at top (2—)3–forked, primary petiolules (axes) of lateral leaflets arising from upper side and elevated, on most leaves central axis 25—50 mm long and subequal lateral axes < central axis, at top 3–forked, secondary petiolules (axes) of lateral leaflets arising from upper side and elevated, central axis to 10 mm long and > lateral axes, axes pilose with radiating fine hairs; blades of leaflets ± fan–shaped typically asymmetric, 20—35 × < 20—40 mm, principal lobes thin and easily wilted, fan–shaped with sinuses at or deeper than midblade, broadly tapered at base, entire on 2 sides, outer margin with sublobes and teeth (coarsely crenate) with ultimate teeth obovate rounded to inconspicuously notched (obtuse), ± palmately veined at base and pinnately veined above with veins somewhat raised on lower surface, dull with scattered short–pilose hairs mostly on paler lower surface, minor veins converging at sinuses and tips of teeth; petiole of cauline leaves often only long enough as stipularlike wings, channeled; blade of cauline leaves smaller than of basal leaves, often glabrous, of the uppermost cauline leaves lacking petiolules.
Inflorescence cyme, terminal and axillary, open, of 1—10 flowers, flowers nodding to pendent on hooked pedicels having anthers exserted and downward–pointing below perianth, flower spurred, bracteate; bract subtending peduncle sessile and leaflike, = reduced, 3–lobed cauline leaf, sometime leaflets entire or with a small lateral tooth or asymmetrically 2–lobed, ovate in outline, < 20 × 10 mm, terminal leaflet > lateral leaflets; bractlet subtending pedicel narrowly ovate, 7—8 × 3 mm, often entire, acute at tip, ± 3–veined having bridges and with midvein slightly raised on back, glaucous, upper surface glabrous, lower surface short–pilose; pedicel slender, at anthesis nodding to 35 mm long increasing 2× and erect in fruit, short–pilose, sometimes with 1—2 unlobed, ovate bracts < 4 mm long.
Flower bisexual, radial, in range 13—14 mm across, conspicuously 5–spurred, not fragrant; receptacle elongate aging barrel–shaped, bearing 60+ flower parts; sepals 5, in bud appressed to corolla later spreading, ovate, in range 14—17 × 5 mm, lower portion petiolelike and channeled, to 3 mm long, blade rose–red often green approaching tip, abscising after pollination; petals 5, each tubular with outer lobe and having nectar–producing spur projecting backward (upward) between adjacent sepals, 20—27 mm long, spur ± straight, rose–red with yellowish bulbous tip (1–ridged), often with some short–pilose hairs; tube narrowly funnel–shaped 5—6 mm diameter at orifice, rose–red but light yellow at orifice, outer lobe tongue–shaped gently cupped, 5—6.5 × 5.5—6.5 mm, light yellow, on other side notched and short–infolded at orifice above a gland; stamens 40+ helically alternate fertile stamens (concealing styles), staminodes 10 in 2 series next to pistils; filaments erect, unequal, straight, the outermost 8 mm long increasing to the innermost filaments 16 mm long, white at base with exserted portion pale yellow and light yellow; anthers basifixed, dithecal, 1.4—1.5 mm long, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen bright yellow; staminodes membranous aging scarious, 6 × 1 mm, 1–veined and folded outward, persistent around developing fruits but eventually shed; pistils 5; ovaries superior, ± cylindric tapered to long style (plump peapodlike), styles subequal, in range 10—11.5 mm long, green, gradually tapered to stigmatic tip, persistent but often broken.
Fruits follicles, 5, sessile, erect, parallel and touching in tight ring atop barrel–shaped torus, each follicle dehiscent on inner side and generally also outer side and several–seeded, body ± cylindric, tapered at top, in range body 14—19 × 1.5—2 mm, light brown to brown, reinforced with transverse veins forming prominent thickenings on surface, from body tip having a terminal, persistent style (beak) curved irregularly and often broken, in fruit mostly < 7 mm long.
Seed ± broadly fusiform, 1.2—1.4 × 0.5—0.7 mm, glossy black, mostly rounded with well–defined edge on 1 side.
A. C. Gibson