| Aquilegia meridionalis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: | Aquilegia |
| Species: | A. meridionalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Aquilegia meridionalis | |
  Mount Giona Mount Parnassus Location of Mounts Giona and Parnassus in Greece, to which Aquilegia meridionalis is endemic | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Aquilegia meridionalis is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, endemic to Greece. [1]
Aquilegia meridionalis is a perennial herbaceous plant with bicoloured petals which are white or pale cream and rounded at the edge and bluish-violet at the top, with blue-violet nectar spurs and sepals. The stamens do not extend past the petals, and the follicles are 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) in length. [2]
The species was initially described as a subspecies meridionalis of Aquilegia amaliae by the French botanists Pierre Ambrunaz Quézel and Juliette Contandriopoulos in 1967. [3] It was raised to the status of a species in its own right by the Italian botanist Enio Nardi in 2014. [4] This assessment is accepted by Plants of the World Online, [1] although Kit Tan et al in 2024 consider it a subspecies meridionalis of Aquilegia ottonis . [2]
The specific epithet meridionalis means "southern, midday, of noon, flowering at noon" in Latin. [5] As Quézel and Contandriopoulos also proposed the epithet australis for the plant, the meaning "south" was presumably intended. [2]
Aquilegia meridionalis is endemic to Mount Giona and Mount Parnassus in south-central Greece, growing on shady limestone cliffs at altitudes of 1,100–2,000 m (3,600–6,600 ft). [3] [2]
As of May 2025 [update] , the species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, [6] although the populations on both Mount Giona and Mount Parnassus were described as "large" in 2024. [2]
Aquilegia meridionalis flowers from June to early August. [2]
