Aquilegia flavescens

Common Names

Yellow Columbine, Columbine, Golden Columbine, Yellow Mountain Columbine

Summary

Yellow columbine is a perennial herb in the Ranunculaceae native to western North America, with stems 20–70 cm tall and basal leaves that are 2×-ternately compound. Its nodding flowers feature yellow sepals (sometimes yellowish pink or raspberry pink) and cream-colored petals with yellow spurs 10–18 mm long; sepals 12–20 mm long, petals 7–10 mm long, and stamens 12–17 mm; flowers 2.5–5 cm across and follicles 18–27 mm long, containing black seeds. Blooms June–August in moist mountain meadows and alpine slopes at elevations 1,300–3,500 m; the entirely yellow form is most common, with pinkish forms where populations mingle with Aquformosa.

Cultivation favors moist but well-drained soil with full sun to partial shade and is intolerant of heavy clay; hardy in cool montane regions. Propagation is by seed (seeds ripen late August; germination 27–55% after stratification) or by division; seeds can self-seed prolifically; it is an ornamental, nectar-rich plant attracting pollinators, with raw flowers reportedly edible but caution advised due to mild toxicity in the genus; hybridizes with Aquformosa where ranges overlap, producing intermediate forms such as var. miniana.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

8 inches - 2.5 feet

Spread

1.5-2.5 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 4-8

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun, tolerates partial shade.

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained soil

Soil Drainage

Well-drained

Soil pH

Tolerates all pH levels

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Time

Spring and Summer

Foliage Color

Green

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Rapid

Seasons of Interest

Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds and Division

Attracts Wildlife

Bees, Hummingbirds, Other pollinators, Birds