Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Plant Identification => Plant Identification Questions and Answers => Topic started by: David Shaw on June 04, 2009, 02:23:24 PM

Title: Aquilegia
Post by: David Shaw on June 04, 2009, 02:23:24 PM

This Aquilegia regularly appears in the SRGC seed list as Aquilegia linifolia , in the garden collected section, and is always marked as the name not being recognised. I have tried to identify it from Robert Nold's 'Columbines' book but not managed to.
Anyone have any ideas?
I sowed some seed in 2006 and have my first flower this year. The most distinguishing feature of the plant is its fully erect flower; I have not seen this in an Aquilegia before. The flower is bright yellow with just a touch of purple/brown on the end of the outer petals.
Overall the plant is 16cm tall and the spurs are 5.5cm long. This plant is in a 8.5cm pot.

Title: Re: Aquilegia
Post by: annew on June 04, 2009, 02:57:17 PM

OOOh! It's nice isn't it? I'll have a look in the book, but maybe its habit would change if planted out.

Title: Re: Aquilegia
Post by: Diane Whitehead on June 04, 2009, 04:35:30 PM

I have one similar flowering now, in the garden, labelled
A. chrysantha (new ssp) from Roger Barlow's Beaver Creek
Greenhouses, but it is not listed in his current website list.

Title: Re: Aquilegia
Post by: Maggi Young on June 04, 2009, 06:25:55 PM

Magnar Aspaker has this photo  of A. chrysantha on his site:
http://magnar.aspaker.no/Aquilegia%20chrysantha%20P7024264.jpg

Title: Re: Aquilegia
Post by: David Shaw on June 04, 2009, 06:43:25 PM

A. chrysantha was the nearest that I could come up with, but just 'not quite'. Anne, it does live outside, it is in a pot because I am still growing it on from seed. It just came indoors for it's pic and will be planted out in the garden when it has finished flowering and the weather is suitable.And, yes, it is a little beauty. The seed is in the exchange every year but I don't know who donates it.

Title: Re: Aquilegia
Post by: Luc Gilgemyn on June 04, 2009, 07:36:49 PM

A very nice one David !!

Title: Re: Aquilegia
Post by: Lori S. on June 04, 2009, 07:44:22 PM

How about A. chaplinii (perhaps more correctly A. chrysantha var. chaplinii)?

Title: Re: Aquilegia
Post by: Diane Whitehead on June 04, 2009, 08:26:05 PM

Linifolia makes no sense for an aquilegia leaf.  However, I checked my ancient books
to see if maybe it was used a century ago.  No.

Title: Re: Aquilegia
Post by: Katherine J on June 05, 2009, 07:29:28 AM

Anyway, next year I think I will order some A. linifolia from the SRGC seed list. :)

Title: Re: Aquilegia
Post by: David Shaw on June 05, 2009, 08:20:54 AM

Robert Nold questions the validity of the name A. chaplinii. I am wondering if, somewhere along the line, someone has not had a plant originally as A chaplinii and it has been corrupted to linefolia?
Whatever its name and origin it is a lovely plant to have, Kata. I can recommend it but wonder what will happen to its erect flower in heavy rain. Maybe it comes from somewhere with low rainfall?

Title: Re: Aquilegia
Post by: Afloden on June 06, 2009, 02:03:58 AM

 There used to be an Aquilegia lithophila which is a synonym of micrantha now. Lithophila was yellow with red. Linifolia may be a misspelling of that, but I see it as highly unlikely because usdaplants.gov and FNA make no mention of lithophila.

 It looks like a chrysantha or one of its ssp, which are treated as species in FNA and ssp in USDA. You can key it. Website is here:http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=102388 (http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=102388). It may help, but Aquilegia are very promiscuous in the garden.

 Aaron