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Van Houtte's columbine

Aquilegia eximia

Also called Serpentine Columbine

Van Houtte's columbine
Photo: John Game, CC BY-SA 4.0

Van Houtte's columbine (Aquilegia eximia) is a native Californian perennial with bright red-orange nodding flowers, often found on serpentine soils. It grows well in cool, well-drained, lightly shaded sites with moderate moisture.

Family
Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Part shade
Water
Water regularly during the growing season, letting the top of the soil dry slightly between waterings; avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Well-drained soil, including gritty or serpentine-type mixes.
Temperature
10–25 °C; tolerates cold winters well.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
W. California
Climate
temperate

About

Aquilegia eximia, the serpentine columbine or Van Houtte's columbine, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, endemic to California.

Where it grows

Aquilegia eximia is endemic to the mixed-evergreen or conifer forests of the California Coast Ranges, the western Transverse Ranges, and the San Francisco Bay Area, usually growing on serpentine soils and sometimes in moist ravines at altitudes of 100–1,800 m (330–5,910 ft).

Other Aquilegia plants

Aquilegia alpina · Aquilegia amaliae · Fan Columbine · Aquilegia apuana · Aquilegia aradanica · Aquilegia aragonensis · Dark Columbine · Aquilegia atrovinosa · Atwood's Columbine · Aquilegia aurea · Aquilegia ballii · Aquilegia baluchistanica

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aquilegia eximia 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.

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