II. SPECIES INFORMATION 

 A. CLASSIFICATION 



1. SCIENTIFIC NAME: Aquileqia brevistvla Hook. 



2. SYNONYMS: A. vulgaris var. brevistvla Gray, in 

 Amer. Journ. Sci. ser. 2, xxxiii, 243 (1862); A. 

 brevistvla var. vera Bruhl, in Journ. Asiatic Soc. 

 Bengal, Ixi, pt. 2, 319, (1893); A. brevistvla 

 var. altior Rapaics, in Hot. Kozlem. viii, 132 

 (1909) . 



3. COMMON NAME: short-styled columbine. 



4. FAMILY: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family). 



5. GENUS: According to Hitchcock et al. (1964), 

 there are about 70 species of columbine in the 

 Northern Hemisphere, chiefly found in the 

 mountains. Munz (1946) recognized 67 species. 

 Dorn (1984) recognizes five species for Montana. 

 The genus shows high interfertility , with 

 polyploidy quite rare, and diploid interspecific 

 hybrids that show little sterility. 

 Interfertility is as common between species on 

 opposite sides of the earth as between 

 geographically related species (Munz 1946) . Munz 

 (1946) felt that in nature, species of Aquileqia 

 are likely to exist only where some degree of 

 isolation occurs, geographical or altitudinal, and 

 only where there are overlapping ranges is 

 intergradation to be expected. Indeed, Clausen et 

 al. (1945) state: "These results lead to the 

 conclusion that Aquileqia is one huge cenospecies 

 composed of only a few ecospecies. Probably most 

 of the recognized ^species' are merely 

 morphologically distinguishable ecotypes or 

 subspecies. This evolutionary status is of much 

 interest, because it possibly represents a 

 youthful stage experienced by many other, now 

 mature genera, before they developed a strong 

 barrier to interbreeding, with polyploidy 

 following. " 



6. SPECIES: Aquileqia brevistvla is characterized by 

 blue and white pendulous flowers, hooked spurs 

 which are shorter than the laminae, included 

 stamens, and short styles. This combination of 

 characters positions it closer to Asiatic species 

 than other American species except A. saximontana 

 and A. laramiensis, both of which have shorter 



