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Aquilegia chrysantha
Golden columbine is a native perennial wildflower of the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico, grown for its large yellow spurred flowers. It needs moist, well-drained soil and some shade to do well in gardens.
Aquilegia chrysantha, the golden columbine, is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The plant, with a height of between 40 centimetres (16 in) and 120 centimetres (47 in), has yellow flowers. A. chrysantha. as with other members of the Aquilegia coerulea species complex, is evolved for pollination by hawkmoth. It favors moist environments in its mountainous range.
In gardens, a cultivar of the species known as 'Yellow Queen' is known for its appearance and won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Hybrids utilizing A. chrysantha, particularly those with Aquilegia coerulea, are especially popular. Both wild and cultivated A. chrysantha, known for their large flowers, require moist and well-drained soil.
A. chrysantha succeeds well in a variety of soils when provided adequate moisture, drainage, and shade. It is recognized for its large flowers, is the parent to a number of garden hybrids. Some, such as the white 'Alba', were given pseudo-botanical names in the 19th century. Additionally, from the Baboquivari population have been collected and privately cultivated.
The cultivar 'Yellow Queen' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Often sold as A. chrysantha, 'Yellow Queen' is recognized for its massive yellow flowers and long life. 'Yellow Queen' has a tendency to produce more flowers than the standard A. chrysantha. The cultivar prefers moist, well-drained soil of clay, sand, or loam. Flowers bloom May and June in the northern hemisphere, with darker yellow center pedals.
The species is native to the southwestern United States from extreme southern Utah to Texas, including Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, and to Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo Leon in northwestern Mexico. It grows in moist habitats in mountainous regions. The plant's native elevation range is between 910 metres (2,990 ft) and 3,350 metres (10,990 ft) above sea level.
Aquilegia alpina · Aquilegia bertolonii · Red columbine · Colorado blue columbine · Fan columbine · Western columbine · Oriental Columbine · Columbine · Columbine
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aquilegia chrysantha by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
