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Aquilegia flabellata
Fan columbine is a hardy perennial wildflower from Northeast Asia, grown for its nodding flowers and fan-shaped leaves. It thrives in cool, well-drained, partly shaded spots and self-sows readily.
Aquilegia flabellata is a species of perennial flowering plant in the genus Aquilegia in the family Ranunculaceae. Native to North and East Asia, the species is found in China, Korea, Mongolia, the Russian Far East, and Japan. The species is commonly known as the fan columbine and some authorities, such as Flora of China, accept the species under the taxonomic name Aquilegia japonica. A dwarf variety of the species, A. flabellata var. pumila, is native to Japan. In cultivation, there are several cultivars of the species – with over 40 cultivars of A. flabellata var. pumila alone – possessing diverse physical attributes.
Within its native range, A. flabellata occurs in mountain forests and on cliffs and slopes at elevations between 1,400 m (4,600 ft) and 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level. The species can grow stems which reach heights of 45 cm (18 in) tall.
Aquilegia are grown as garden plants, with several species that are regularly grown for different types of gardens. Aquilegia flabellata is popular for gardens and is grown as an ornamental plant. The species is popular with plant breeders, with a large number of horticultural forms – known as cultivars – available. Of A. f. pumila alone, there are more than 40 culitvars. Plants labelled Aquilegia akitensis – which the American botanist and gardener Robert Nold called "very beautiful, desirable plants" – are derived from A. f. pumila.
In cultivation, A. flabellata will flower from seed the year after it was sowed. Deadheading (removing dead flowers) before a plant expends the energy necessary to produce seeds can extend the lifespan of any columbine. Due to their capacity to self-sow, Aquilegia can become invasive.
Aquilegia flabellata has a native range in Northeast Asia that extends over portions of Northeast China, northern Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and the Russian Far East. In Russia, is found in southern Siberia, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands. In China, the species is found in the southern portions of the province of Heilongjiang and the eastern portions of the province of Jilin. In Japan, there are observed variance between populations which are northern and southern parts of the species's range, which includes the largest Japanese island of Honshu.
Aquilegia alpina · Aquilegia bertolonii · Red columbine · Golden columbine · Colorado blue columbine · Western columbine · Oriental Columbine · Columbine · Columbine
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aquilegia flabellata 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.
