Aquilegia alpina
| Aquilegia alpina | |
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| Flower | |
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| Botanical illustration | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: | Aquilegia |
| Species: | A. alpina
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| Binomial name | |
| Aquilegia alpina | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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Aquilegia alpina, the alpine columbine or breath of God,[4] is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to the western and central Alps.[3]
Description
[edit]Aquilegia alpina grows to 20–70 cm high, with 1–3 (occasionally up to 5) flowers per stem. The flowers are bright light blue to blue-purple, measuring 6–9 cm across. The spur at the tip of the flower is straight or only slightly curved,[5] and is the longest of the Eurasian species of Aquilegia at 21.5mm.[6]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The species is native to subalpine[5] regions of France, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy,[3] at altitudes from 1300–1900m,[7] typically in rocky areas and stony pastures[8] with carbonate bedrock.[9]
Ecology
[edit]Aquilegia alpina flowers from July to September,[5] and is pollinated by bees.[6] It is known to be attacked by the gall midge species Macrolabis aquilegiae.[7]
Conservation
[edit]As of October 2024[update], the IUCN Red List listed Aquilegia alpina as Least Concern (LC). This status was last reviewed on 24 June 2010.[1] In Switzerland, it is listed as fully protected in the Bern, Glarus, Grisons, Obwalden, Ticino, and Uri cantons.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Ancolie des Alpes". IUCN Red List. IUCN. 2010. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ Sp. Pl.: 522 (1753)
- ^ a b c "Aquilegia alpina L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ "Aquilegia alpina alpine columbine". The Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
Other common names; breath of God
- ^ a b c d "Aquilegia alpina L." Global Biodiversity Information Facility. GBIF Secretariat. 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Whittall, Justen B.; Hodges, Scott A. (2007). "Pollinator shifts drive increasingly long nectar spurs in columbine flowers". Nature. 447: 706–709. doi:10.1038/nature05857.
- ^ a b Skuhravá, Marcela; Skuhravý, Václav (2010). "Gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) of South Tyrol (Italy) - summary of results and zoogeographical analysis" (PDF). Gredleriana. 10: 275–324.
- ^ Signorini, Maria Adele; Nardi, Enio (1999). "Taxonomic notes on Isopyrum thalictroides L. var. insignis Gibelli et Pirotta (Ranunculaceae)" (PDF). Flora Mediterranea. 9: 61–64.
- ^ Caironi, Valeria; Crosa Lenz, Beatrice; Bollati, Iren Maria (2020). "A multidisciplinary approach for physical landscape analysis: Scientific value and risk of degradation of outstanding landforms in the glacial plateau of the Loana Valley (Central-Western Italian Alps)". Italian Journal of Geosciences. 139 (2): 233–251. doi:10.3301/IJG.2020.01. S2CID 216271412.