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Varieties and types of aquilegia with photos and names are interesting to study for every passionate gardener. When chosen wisely, a herbaceous plant can stylishly decorate a garden.
What does aquilegia look like?
The aquilegia plant, known as columbine and orlik, is a perennial from the Ranunculaceae family. The height rises to an average of 1 m, the root is long, taprooted, with numerous branches. Flowering shoots are strong and branched, with a two-year development cycle; first, leaves sprout from the renewal bud at the base of the bush, dying off in the same autumn.The very next year, a new root rosette is formed and a long stem rises. The leaves are large and wide, thrice dissected.
There are more than 100 types of crops in the world, but only 35 are used for decorative purposes.
What do aquilegia flowers look like?
Flowering in the catchment occurs mainly in May or June. During this period, the plant bears single buds - up to 12 pieces on a peduncle. The inflorescences are paniculate, drooping and sparse; the flowers themselves reach about 10 cm in width.
The photo of the columbine flower shows that the bud is formed by a corolla of five petals arranged in the shape of a funnel with a wide opening cut obliquely, and spurs - long outgrowths with a curved tip. The colors of the flowers can be white, blue, pink, orange and red.
The elongated projections at the ends of the petals of aquilegia are called spurs
The columbine blooms for about a month, after which a multileaf fruit with small black seeds ripens in place of the bud.
Varieties and types of aquilegia
The catchment is usually classified as one of three varieties, within which there are numerous subspecies and varieties. Photos, descriptions and reviews of aquilegia highlight the European, American and Japanese groups.
European varieties
European is called an aquilegia with a spur, the edge of which is hooked. In addition, the group is characterized by the monochromatic color of the buds, which can be white, blue, indigo and pink.
Ordinary
Common aquilegia (lat. Aquilegia vulgaris) is a natural species that is quite rare in Asia and Europe. The catchment looks like a medium-sized perennial 60-100 cm tall.The flowers have characteristic curved spurs and can be white, blue, or light purple in color.
Common aquilegia blooms in May and remains decorative until July
Alpine
Alpine catchment (lat. Aquilegia alpine) is found in the wild in the Alps in mountain meadows or forest clearings. Under natural conditions it grows 40 cm and blooms from June. The buds are blue or purple, with small curved spurs.
Alpine aquilegia begins to bloom in June and lasts about a month.
Olympic
Aquilegia olympica (lat. Aquilegia olympica) grows abundantly in meadows and forests in Asia Minor and Iran. The perennial grows up to 60 cm, bears medium-sized flowers, mostly blue, but sometimes pink, with slight pubescence on the petals. The spurs of the Olympic catchment are short, curved, and the sepals are ovoid in shape.
Basically, you can meet the Olympic aquilegia at an altitude of 3000 m above sea level
Glandular
Glandular aquilegia (lat. Aquilegia glandulosa) is widespread in eastern Siberia, Altai and Mongolia. Grows up to 70 cm above soil level, produces small, wide-open flowers with hook-shaped spurs, most often blue, sometimes with a white border. It prefers to grow in moist soil, but also takes root well on rocky soils.
Ferruginous aquilegia grows mainly in Mongolia and Siberia
Fan-shaped (Akita)
In nature, fan-shaped aquilegia (lat. Aquilegia flabellata) can be found in northern Japan, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. In rocks and mountains it grows scatteredly, in meadows and slopes it can spread very lushly and abundantly. The height of the fan-shaped catchment can reach 60 cm, but sometimes it grows only up to 15 cm.
The fan-shaped catchment belongs to the European group, but grows in Japan and the Kuril Islands
The flowers are small, only up to 6 cm, with long hook-shaped spurs. The color of the buds is predominantly light purple with a white border.
Green-flowered
Green-flowered aquilegia (lat. Aquilegia viridiflora) grows in Mongolia, Eastern Siberia and China. The height can reach from 25 cm to 60 cm. It blooms in early summer and bears rather unusual buds; they are green in color with a yellow edging. Like all European varieties, the green-flowered columbine has curved spurs.
The buds of green-flowered aquilegia retain an unusual shade throughout flowering
Small-flowered
Small-flowered aquilegia (lat. Aquilegia parviflora) grows on Sakhalin and is very similar to the Akita variety, but bears smaller flowers, only up to 3 cm in diameter. Prefers dry areas on rocky mountain slopes, also found in sparse birch and mixed deciduous forests.
The buds of the small-flowered columbine are only 3 cm wide
The small-flowered columbine reaches 50 cm in height and blooms with violet-blue buds with a short spur. It enters the decorative period in June or July and continues to bloom for about a month.
Siberian
In accordance with its name, the Siberian aquilegia (lat. Aquilegia sibirica) grows in Western and Eastern Siberia, as well as in the Altai mountains. It can reach from 30 cm to 60 cm in height depending on conditions; the buds are small, about 5 cm.
The spurs of the Siberian aquilegia are thin and short, curved; the flowers are blue-lilac in color, but sometimes they can be white or yellowish at the edges. The Siberian catchment becomes decorative at the end of May and continues to bloom for about 25 days.
Siberian aquilegia has been cultivated for more than two hundred years, since 1806
Acute sepals
Acute sepalous aquilegia (lat. Aquilegia oxysepala) is common in Siberia, China, the Far East and Korea. It can grow up to 1 m and produces numerous side shoots on the stems. Bears small white or purple-yellow buds with short, up to 1 cm, curved spurs. The petals of this species are pointed at the tips, which explains the name. The acute sepal flower blooms in June and July for 25 days.
Acute sepals aquilegia prefers sunny areas with diffuse shade
Aquilegia Karelina
The Latin name of the variety is Aquilegia karelinii. It grows mainly in Central Asia, in the forested areas of the Tien Shan. It can grow up to 80 cm in height and bears purple or wine-red single buds up to 11 cm in diameter. The petals of the flowers are truncated, the spurs are strongly curved and short. Flowering occurs in early June and lasts about 3 weeks.
Aquilegia Karelina differs from most European varieties in its wine-red hue
American varieties
The American columbine differs from other species in that its long spurs are straight, without a noticeable bend.In addition, photos of the species and varieties of aquilegia show that the group is characterized by a brighter color of flowers; red, golden and orange buds are found here.
Canadian
Canadian catchment (lat. Aquilegia canadensis) is widespread in the eastern North America in the mountains. The perennial can reach 90 cm in height, bears medium-sized drooping buds - 2-3 pieces per stem.
The color of the petals is red, with an orange corolla, the sepals are yellowish, and the straight, long spur is reddish. Flowering of Canadian aquilegia occurs in early summer and lasts 3 weeks.
Canadian Aquilegia buds reach 5 cm in width
Golden-flowered
Golden-flowered columbine (Latin: Aquilegia chrysantha) is native to northwestern Mexico. It grows freely both in high humidity and in mountainous areas, rising up to 1 m above the ground.
Flowering occurs in early summer. The plant bears medium-sized buds of a bright yellow hue with thin straight spurs.
The spurs of golden-flowered aquilegia can reach 10 cm in length
Dark
Dark aquilegia (lat. Aquilegia atrata) grows wild mainly in Central Europe. The catchment can be seen in the mountain meadows of the Alps and Pyrenees, at an altitude of about 2000 m above sea level.
Dark aquilegia is a low plant and reaches 20-50 cm in height. The buds are also small, up to 5 cm in diameter with thin and short spurs. There can be 3-10 flowers on one stem; their hue is red-violet. The decorative period begins at the end of May and June.
Dark aquilegia can grow on loamy soils
Skinner's Aquilegia
Skinner's columbine (in Latin Aquilegia skinneri) is native to northern Mexico and the Pacific coast of the Americas.The perennial rises up to 80 cm above the ground, produces drooping golden-yellow small flowers with orange-red sepals. The spurs of the species are long and straight, also orange-red. Flowering occurs in early summer and lasts 3 weeks.
Skinner's Aquilegia produces buds about 4 cm in diameter with very long spurs
Blue
Blue columbine (from the Latin Aquilegia caerulea) grows in the rocky mountains of North America and reaches 80 cm above ground level. It is distinguished by single or semi-double buds with white petals and pale blue sepals. From the photo and description of the flowers of Aquilegia, it can be seen that the spurs of the species are straight and thin, pale lilac, up to 5 cm in length.
The buds of blue aquilegia reach about 6 cm in width
Spurless varieties (Japanese and Chinese)
Some types of aquilegia do not have a spur at all. They grow mainly in Japan, Central Asia, Korea and China. Because spurless species differ sharply from European and American catchments, they are often found in the literature with the prefix “false-.”
Pseudo-columbine anemoneformes
The anemone paraquilegia (from the Latin Paraquilegia anemonoides) lives in rocky areas in Japan, China and Korea. The flowers of the false columbine anemone are pale lilac, up to 4 cm wide, with bright orange stamens in the center. The plant has no spurs.
Anemone columbine grows well on rocky soils
Adoxovaya
Adox aquilegia (lat. Aquilegia adoxi-oides) is a low-growing perennial plant with a maximum height of about 30 cm. The buds are cuboid, with light purple petals. The variety does not have a spur; the flowers droop greatly on the stems.
Adoxova, or adoxoid aquilegia, is a variety with an interesting cube-shaped bud
Aquilegia non-spur
The spurless aquilegia (from the Latin Aquilegia ecalcarata) is a low perennial, only about 25 cm tall, native to China and Japan. It blooms with small pink or lilac-red flowers. The plant has no spurs.
The spurless aquilegia blooms quite late - in July and August.
Hybrid aquilegia
The main decorative value is represented by varieties of hybrid aquilegia (in Latin Aquilegia x hybrida) - cultivated varieties obtained as a result of selection. A hybrid catchment can be not only white, red, blue or cream, but also bi-colored.
Biedermeier series
Aquilegia Biedermeier is a series of columbine varietals in blue, pink, red, white and other shades. Some flowers combine 2 tones at once, while others have the tips of the inner bright petals painted white.
The perennials reach a height of about 35 cm and have good cold resistance down to -35 °C. Flowering in the Biedermeier catchment occurs in May-June.
Aquilegia Biedermeier was developed as a result of selection of an ordinary catchment
Winky Series
Aquilegia Winky Mixed is a varietal mixture for growing in the garden and in flowerpots. The plant height does not exceed 45 cm; flowering occurs in May and June. The buds of white, red, blue and purple shades do not droop, but look vertically upward. The structure of the flowers is double, which gives them additional decorativeness.
Aquilegia series Winky blooms with double buds
Spring Magic Series
Aquilegia of the Spring Magic series are well-developed tall hybrid perennials up to 70 cm in height and up to 1 m in diameter. The catchment of this series blooms profusely, with medium-sized snow-white and bicolor buds - pink, blue, red, violet and white.Blooms from June to August.
Spring Magic catchment is often planted among rocks
Clementine
Perennials from the Clementine series produce double buds of salmon pink, white, purple and red. The plants were bred on the basis of the common watershed; they differ from the wild species in having more lush flowers and a longer period of decorativeness. In addition, according to the description of the aquilegia flower, the buds of the Klemenina series do not droop, but are directed vertically upward. There are no spurs.
Aquilegia Clementina blooms in June and July
Columbine
The Columbine variety reaches 70 cm in height and pleases with a wide variety of colors and shades - white, pink, blue, red. The buds are collected in paniculate inflorescences; the catchment reaches its maximum decorative potential at the end of May or June.
Aquilegia Columbina can grow in sun and shaded areas
Lime Sorbet
The Lime Sorbet variety was bred on the basis of the common aquilegia, reaching a height of 65 cm. The photo of the plant catchment shows that the buds are double, drooping, pale green at the beginning of flowering, and subsequently pure white. The variety has no spurs.
The Lime Sorbet variety blooms in May and June.
Adelaide Addison
The Adelaide Addison variety belongs to the North American selection. The perennial bushes grow up to 60 cm and have fern-type leaves. The catchment begins to bloom in May; the buds are double, white at the top with a smooth transition to purple at the bottom.
You can see blue “splashes” on the white petals of Adelaide Addison
Currant ice
Aquilegia Blackcurrant Ice is a dwarf variety and grows an average of 15 cm. It blooms profusely in late May and early summer, producing buds with a creamy white center and purple lower part.
The Currant Ice variety is planted in the sun and partial shade.
Blue ice
The Blue Ice variety was bred on the basis of a fan-shaped catchment. The miniature plant grows an average of 12 cm, producing large buds 6 cm in diameter with a creamy top and purple base. It blooms in June and July and takes root well in lighted areas with light soil.
Contrary to its name, the Blue Ice variety combines purple and cream colors.
Yellow crystal
The catchment is a medium-sized hybrid up to 50 cm in height. In June and July it blooms with bright yellow single buds with straight petals and a long, uncurved spur. The characteristics and description of the Yellow Crystal aquilegia variety state that the plant feels comfortable on humus soils in partial shade and prefers moderate humidity.
Aquilegia Yellow Crystal is a frost-resistant variety that overwinters at - 35 ° C
Chocolate Soldier
The Chocolate Soldier watershed is an unusual and quite rare variety, bred on the basis of the green-flowered aquilegia. The height usually reaches no more than 30 cm; from May to July it bears buds - drooping bells of chocolate purple color with brown spurs. Inflorescences consist of 3-7 flowers.
The buds of the Chocolate Soldier variety emit a pleasant smell
birds of paradise
Aquilegia Birds of Paradise, or Birds of Paradise, grows up to 80 cm and blooms with double, loose buds in white, blue, red and pink shades. Thanks to the lush shape of the inflorescences, from the outside it may seem that small beautiful birds are sitting on the shoots of the plant, this explains the name. The catchment reaches its maximum decorative value in June-July; it prefers sunny areas and partial shade for growth.
The Birds of Paradise variety is a frost-resistant plant that overwinters at temperatures below - 30 ° C
Rules for choosing a variety
Which watershed to purchase for your own plot depends entirely on preference. When studying photos and names of aquilegia varieties, you only need to pay attention to a few points:
- winter hardiness - most varieties tolerate frosts down to - 35 ° C, but it is better to clarify this point when purchasing;
- soil and light requirements, some watersheds grow in the shade and prefer loamy soil, others love sandy soil and sun;
- color scheme, as photos of aquilegia flowers in the garden show, the perennial should be combined with other plants and not look variegated against their background.
When grown in the garden, columbine plants can be combined with other plants and with each other
Conclusion
Varieties and types of aquilegia with photos and names allow you to appreciate the diversity of the herbaceous plant. Simple and hybrid watersheds can decorate the garden if you choose the right shades.
