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minated on account of Its showy flowers. Occasionally plants 

 are found with pale yellow blossoms growing among the normal 

 ones. 



It ranges from Nova Scotia to Northwest Territory south to 

 Florida and Texas and ascends to high altitudes in the Alle- 

 ghanies and the Rocky Mountains. 



It was first described and figured by Cornuti in 1635 and was 

 called Aqtiilegia canadensis by Linnaeus in 1753. The generic 

 name refers to a fancied resemblance of the spurs to the talons 

 of an eagle; on this account and the wide range of the genus 

 throughout the United States, it has been strenuously advocated 

 for the honor of being called the national flower. About fifteen 

 species of Aquilegia are known from the United States, ranging 

 through the Rocky Mountains into Mexico and the western 

 states; all have showy flowers varying from white to yellow and 

 blue, and are greatly prized in cultivation. 



This genus belongs to the crowfoot family, Ranunculaceae, 



of which about thirty-five genera and one thousand and fifty 



species are distributed throughout the temperate regions of the 



world. 



Elizabeth G. Brixton. 



