Aquilegia jonesii

Aquilegia jonesii
Jones' columbine in flower
Conservation status
Vulnerable (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Embryophytes
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Ranunculaceae
Genus:	Aquilegia
Species:	A. jonesii
Binomial name
Aquilegia jonesii Parry
Synonyms
Aquilegia jonesii var. elatior Aquilegia jonesii subsp. elatior

Aquilegia jonesii, the blue limestone columbine or Jones' columbine, is a perennial species of plant in the buttercup family, endemic to Alberta, Montana, and Wyoming.

Description

Jones' columbine is a dwarf species, reaching only 3.5 to 12 centimeters in height. All of its leaves are basal, attached directly to the base of the plant rather than branching off a stem, forming a low mound. The leaves are nearly as tall as the stems, as much as 2.5–10 cm in height. The leaves are divided into ones or twice with crowded leaflets. The erect blue or purple flowers which bloom in June and July.

Taxonomy

In 1874 Aquilegia jonesii was scientifically described and named by the botanist Charles Christopher Parry. It is classified in the genus Aquilegia within the wider Ranunculaceae family. It has no accepted subspecies or varieties, but a subspecies named elatior was described by Paul Carpenter Standley in 1921 and reclassified as a variety by H. Stuart Boothman in 1934. Neither is listed as an accepted taxa by Plants of the World Online.

Names

The specific epithet jonesii honors Captain William A. Jones, U.S. Engineer, who was the commander of the 1873 expedition on which the species was documented, and who was the first to find a specimen. Aquilegia jonesii is known by the common names blue limestone columbine, limestone columbine, and Jones' columbine.

Distribution and habitat

Jones' columbine grows in rocky places in subalpine limestone areas in northern Wyoming, northwest and central Montana, and southern Alberta, at altitudes from 1,800 to 3,400 meters (5,900–11,200 ft). At least 20 populations of the species have been documented, of which 16 are in Wyoming.

Uses

Though the flowers are attractive the plant is not often grown due to difficulties with keeping it in cultivation. The plants are easy to grow from seed, but are not long lived and rarely bloom well.

External links

• Media related to Aquilegia jonesii at Wikimedia Commons

References

Sources

Books

• Duft, Joseph F.; Moseley, Robert K. (1989). Alpine Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press. ISBN 978-0-87842-238-8. OCLC 19325552. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
• Johnson, Timothy (1999). CRC Ethnobotany Desk Reference. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-1187-1. OCLC 39765430.

Journal articles

• Parry, C. C. (1874). "Botanical Observations in Western Wyoming". The American Naturalist. 8 (4): 211–215. doi:10.1086/271298. Retrieved 12 March 2026.

Web sources

• Alpine Garden Society (2018). "Aquilegia jonesii". Alpine Garden Society Plant Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
• NatureServe (27 February 2026). "Aquilegia jonesii". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
• POWO (2026). "Aquilegia jonesii Parry". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
• VASCAN; Acadia University; Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre; University of Toronto Mississauga; University of British Columbia (2026). "Aquilegia jonesii Parry - Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN)". Canadensys. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
• Whittemore, Alan T. (5 November 2020) [In print 1993]. "Aquilegia jonesii". Flora of North America. ISBN 978-0-19-508242-5. OCLC 504195332. Archived from the original on 30 June 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: periodical has ISBN (link)