AQUILEGIA CHRYSANTHA. 



GOLDEN COLUMBINE. 



NATURAL ORDER, RANUNCULACE^. 



Aquilegia CHRYSANTHA, Asa Gray. — Allied to A. cserulea ; tall, two to four feet; flowers 

 deep yellow ; sepals lanceolate oblong ; limb of the petals a little longer than broad. — 

 {^Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Vol. VIII, p. 621.) 



HE Columbines are celebrated plants. This, the Golden 

 Columbine, has been definitely known only for a short 

 time. Nuttall, Thurber, Wright, and Parry met with it in their 

 travels through the Southwest ; but it was thought to be a variety 

 of another species, until Dr. Gray described it as above. It is a 

 native of New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern Utah. 



The family of Columbines is represented in the eastern United 

 States by a single species only, while in the Southwest and West 

 there are several. It crosses the American continent to Siberia, 

 and thence extends by several species into the northern and 

 mountainous districts of Europe. 



The name, Aquilegia, given to this genus, has not been satis- 

 factorily accounted for. Gray, Darlington, and other botanists 

 say it is from the Latin aquila, an eagle, from a fancied resem- 

 blance in the long spur-like nectaries to the talons of an eagle ; 

 but it is quite as likely to be from aqiia, water, and lego, to col- 

 lect, in allusion to their pitcher-like appearance. These spurs, 

 however, being generally horizontal, or even erect in some cases, 

 would really be unable to collect much rain ; but names are often 

 given as much from fancy as from fact. The spurs are called 

 nectaries, because they generally contain a small quantity of 

 sweet liquid. The common name, " Columbine," is derived from 

 the Latin, signifying a dove ; but it takes a great deal of imagi- 



