| Aquilegia dichroa | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: | Aquilegia |
| Species: | A. dichroa |
| Binomial name | |
| Aquilegia dichroa | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Aquilegia dichroa is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to Portugal and northwestern Spain. [1]
Aquilegia dichroa is a perennial herb growing to 18–75 cm (7–30 in) tall with an erect stem which is pubescent towards the top and sticky towards the base. The leaves are green and smooth on the uppersides, and slightly downy underneath. The basal leaves have stalks 4–18 cm (1.6–7.1 in) long, the leaves themselves measuring 6–7 cm (2.4–2.8 in) long by 7–12 cm (2.8–4.7 in) wide. Each has three wedge- or egg-shaped leaflets, of which the central leaflet always and the side leaflets sometimes have a stalk. The flowers are blue, nodding and have pointed oval sepals 1.5 cm (0.6 in) long, and blue petals 2 cm (0.8 in) long with white tips. The petals have thick, blue, curved nectar spurs which are hooked at the end and 1.2 cm (0.5 in) long. The stamens are longer than the petals, and the anthers are yellow, blackening towards the tip. [2]
Aquilegia dichroa was formally described by the Austrian botanist Josef Franz Freyn in 1880. Freyn differentiated the species from the similar Aquilegia vulgaris by its small sepals, protruding stamens, hooked styles, and evenly if not densely hairy leaves. [2] It was reassessed as a subspecies dichroa of A. vulgaris by the Spanish botanist Tomás Emilio Díaz in 1984. [1]
A closely-related species A. molleriana was described by Freyn and Vinczé von Borbás in 1886 [3] but is now considered a synonym of A. dichroa. [1]
The specific epithet dichroa means "of two colours", referring to the blue-and-white flowers. [4]
Aquilegia dichroa is native to Portugal and northwestern Spain, and has been introduced to the islands of Terceira, Graciosa, and Pico in the Azores. [5] It grows in mountainous areas in granitic soils. [3]
As of December 2024 [update] , the species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List. [6]
Aquilegia dichroa flowers from April to June. [3] In mainland Portugal it is found in the oak-wood plant community Rusco aculeati-Quercetum roboris (butcher's-broom and pedunculate oak) along with plants such as Scilla verna (spring squill), Veronica chamaedrys (germander speedwell), Hieracium sabaudum (European hawkweed), and Melampyrum pratense (common cow-wheat). [7]
Aquilegia is a genus of about 130 species of perennial plants that are found in meadows, woodlands, and at higher elevations throughout the Northern Hemisphere, known for the spurred petals of their flowers.
Aquilegia coerulea, the Colorado columbine, Rocky Mountain columbine, or blue columbine, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to the Rocky Mountains and some of the surrounding states of the western United States. It is the state flower of Colorado. The Latin specific name coerulea means "sky blue".
Aquilegia vulgaris is a species of columbine native to Europe with common names that include: European columbine, common columbine, granny's nightcap, and granny's bonnet. It is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1.2 m tall, with branched, thinly hairy stems. The leaves are biternate; each leaf has three groups of three leaflets. The flowers, in various shades of purple, blue, pink and white, are pendent or horizontal with strongly hooked spurs, and appear in early summer.
Polygala vulgaris, known as the common milkwort, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the genus Polygala in the family Polygalaceae.
Aquilegia flavescens, the yellow columbine, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to the Rocky Mountains of the United States and Canada.
Aquilegia pyrenaica, common name Pyrenean columbine, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae. It is endemic to the Pyrenees where it grows on grassland and in rocky places. It was first described in 1805 by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle who gave it the name Aquilegia pyrenaica.
Hypericum foliosum, the shining St John's wort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. It is a bushy shrub endemic to the Portuguese Azores Islands with golden yellow petals and many stems. The species was described by William Aiton in 1789 and was later placed into section Androsaemum of the genus Hypericum by Norman Robson in 1984. It has a diverse essential oil profile made up mostly of monoterpene hydrocarbons, and significant concentrations of various medicinally useful phenols and carotenoids. Populations of the plant are small in number, but quick to colonize cleared areas like groves, landslide areas, and volcanic ash deposits. It is parasitized by fungus and by moth species, but is not considered endangered by the IUCN. H. foliosum is used in traditional medicine on the Azores for diuretic, hepatoprotective, and antihypertensive purposes. It also has in vitro antibiotic and antioxidizing capabilities.
Aquilegia alpina, the alpine columbine or breath of God, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, 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. A. alpina is appreciated for its light blue to blue-purple flowers.
Aquilegia olympica is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to Turkey, Iran, and the Caucasus.
Aquilegia × hybrida is a hybrid species of columbine, the result of a cross between Aquilegia vulgaris and Aquilegia canadensis.
Aquilegia ballii is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, endemic to Morocco.
Aquilegia barykinae is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, endemic to the Russian Far East. The species was first described in 2014. Its flowers are lilac-blue.
Aquilegia bashahrica is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, endemic to the Himalayas.
Aquilegia amurensis is a partially accepted species of flowering plant in the genus Aquilegia (columbines) in the family Ranunculaceae that is native to northeast Asia. Its natural range is in the northern Greater Khingan mountain range and Amur River of China, as well as Siberian Russia, Mongolia, and possibly North Korea. Flowers of this plant have petal blades that are whitish or white-tipped, with blue-violet nectar spurs and sepals. The plant is rarely cultivated.
Urophysa henryi is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, endemic to southern China.
Aquilegia discolor, commonly known as the two-coloured columbine, is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, endemic to northwestern Spain.
Aquilegia dumeticola is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to southeastern Europe.
Aquilegia grubovii is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to northern Mongolia and Tuva in Russia.
Aquilegia guarensis is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to the Pyrenees.
Aquilegia hebeica is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to northern China.