FLOWERS OF MOUNTAIN AND PLAIN 
BUTTERCUP FAMILY 
MonxksuHoop, ACONITE ACONITUM COLUMBIANUM 
Plate 1, fig. 1 
The flowers of the Monkshood are usually deep purple-blue, but 
yellowish white ones are often found. The tall plants, 4-8 ft. high, 
grow in mountain meadows and along streams at 6000-12000 ft., and | 
bloom from early July to late August. The Aconite disguises its re- 
lation to the buttercups by having irregular sepals, developed by insect 
visitors in search of nectar. The two nectaries are underneath and at 
the base of the cowl-shaped upper sepal which gives the plant its name. 
In seeking nectar, the bees crawl over the group of stamens and stig- 
mas and in so doing either collect or deposit the pollen which clings to 
their legs and abdomens. The Monkshood is frequently cultivated in 
gardens and some of the species furnish a powerful drug, aconite, used 
in medicine. All of the species are poisonous and often produce fatal 
results among stock when feed is scarce. 
BLuE COLUMBINE AQUILEGIA COERULEA 
Plate 1, fig. 2 
This Columbinexvaries in color through several shades of blue and 
may rarely be white. It is the state flower of Colorado, growing in 
spruce and aspen woods, or in mountain meadows at 6500-12000 ft. It 
is usually 2-3 ft. high and blossoms from early summer to midsummer. 
Like the Monkshood and Larkspur, the columbines also belong to the 
group of irregular buttercups. The nectar is contained in the swollen 
tips of the petals. Pollination is effected by long-nosed bees which 
cling to the petals while inserting the proboscis up the spur and at the 
same time touch the group of pendant stamens with the underside of 
