Aquilegia Express: Yellow Columbines
Aquilegia longissima, Longspur Columbine
The longspur columbine is endemic to areas in southern Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico.
A narrow endemic, Aquilegia longissima, flowers are somewhat pale yellow but with dramatically long spurs, 10-15 cm long. Photo by Gary Monroe.
Range map of Aquilegia longissima. Courtesy of Flora of North America.
Aquilegia longissima ranges in height 25-90 cm. Foliage is glabrous or sometimes pilose. Basal leaves 3×-ternately compound, 20-45 cm, usually shorter than stems. Leaflets are green adaxially, to 20-40 mm. The flowers are erect. The sepals are perpendicular to floral axis, pale yellow, lanceolate 25-40 by 6-11 mm, apex narrowly acute or acuminate. Petals spurs are pale yellow, straight, more or less parallel, 72-180 mm, very slender, evenly tapered from base; blades are pale yellow, spatulate, 15-30 by 7-11 mm; stamens are 20-33 mm; follicles are 24-31 mm; the beak is 16-26 mm.
Aquilegia longissima is found growing near streams or in damp rocky places in canyons.
Conservation Concern
Aquilegia longissima is a narrow endemic and is ranked G3, vulnerable by NatureServe.