{"id":3220,"date":"2025-12-08T12:31:28","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T20:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/?p=3220"},"modified":"2025-12-10T14:19:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T22:19:17","slug":"plant-of-the-week-western-columbine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/2025\/12\/08\/plant-of-the-week-western-columbine\/","title":{"rendered":"Plant of the Week: Western Columbine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this plant of the week, we are highlighting the Western\u00a0columbine, or\u00a0Aquilegia\u00a0formosa.\u00a0<\/em>This perennial flower is native to the western part of North America, with occurrences in the western U.S. and throughout Canada and Alaska (1, 2). A welcome sight in Oregon gardens,\u00a0A.\u00a0formosa\u00a0<\/em>invites novice and experienced gardeners with its\u00a0low maintenance\u00a0nature. It does best in partial shade with moist soil\u00a0and\u00a0can tolerate the\u00a0dry\u00a0Oregon summers with extra watering (35).\u00a0Anecdotally, however, Anna Perry\u00a0does not water her\u00a0A.\u00a0formosa\u00a0<\/em>in her garden or at the\u00a0A.\u00a0formosa\u00a0<\/em>hedgerow at OSU’s urban\u00a0farm and\u00a0finds that they thrive\u00a0without added watering.\u00a0You can read more about Anna\u2019s\u00a0masters\u00a0research on\u00a0their\u00a0most recent blog post,\u00a0\u201cScience Behind the Scenes: Searching for Microplastics in Garden Soils<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were prominent medicinal applications of\u00a0A.\u00a0formosa\u00a0<\/em>throughout North America\u00a0prior to\u00a0colonization, including its\u00a0use\u00a0in treating coughs, sore throats, stomach aches, lice, and dizziness. Such medicinal properties\u00a0come from\u00a0the\u00a0cyanogenic\u00a0glycosides\u00a0found throughout\u00a0the entire plant of\u00a0A.\u00a0formosa<\/em>,\u00a0but\u00a0if not prepared properly, can be poisonous<\/strong>\u00a0(2).\u00a0The cyanogenic glycosides are highly concentrated in the roots, seeds, and\u00a0leaves,\u00a0and the plant structure can\u00a0be seen in image 2 (4).\u00a0You can read more about the medicinal applications of\u00a0A.\u00a0formosa\u00a0<\/em>in one of our past blog posts, titled \u201cEthnobotany of Oregon Wildflowers<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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Image 1: Herbarium specimen of\u00a0A.\u00a0formosa,\u00a0<\/em>which shows all parts of the plant\u00a0(5).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This curious plant is a favorite source of nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds, who use their long mouth parts to collect nectar from A. formosa\u2019<\/em>s spurs (3). We can see that the spur is a modified petal in the below image of an Aquilegia <\/em>flower. Though butterflies and hummingbirds have a strong preference to A. formosa<\/em>, one of our past graduates, Dr. Aaron Anderson found some association between the sweat bee, Lasioglossum olympiae, <\/em>with A. formosa <\/em>(6).<\/em>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aquilegia\u00a0formosa\u00a0<\/em>was also included in Dr. Jen Hayes\u2019 research,\u00a0which\u00a0you can\u00a0read more\u00a0about in\u00a0her blog post titled \u201cAnnouncing the Publication of Seven New Garden Ecology Lab Briefs<\/a>\u201d\u00a0or on our\u00a0\u201cFor Gardeners<\/a>\u201d\u00a0page on our Garden Ecology Lab\u00a0website. Dr. Hayes\u00a0found that the\u00a0native\u00a0cultivar\u00a0(nativar), \u201cXeraTones,\u201d of\u00a0A.\u00a0formosa\u00a0<\/em>had fewer visitations\u00a0by pollinators\u00a0than the native plant.\u00a0It should be noted, however, that Dr. Hayes found that\u00a0A.\u00a0formosa\u00a0<\/em>and its\u00a0nativar\u00a0<\/em>had the lowest\u00a0abundance\u00a0and richness\u00a0of\u00a0wild bees\u00a0compared to other native plants in her study.\u00a0On the topic of\u00a0A.\u00a0formosa\u00a0<\/em>cultivars, the\u00a0Aquilegia<\/em>\u2019s are notorious\u00a0for producing\u00a0hybrids and\u00a0can\u00a0produce a variety of colors\u00a0(7)!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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Image\u00a02: A labeled image of an\u00a0Aquilegia\u00a0<\/em>flower. We are focusing on the spur, which is a modified petal where nectar is produced (8).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are looking to add a pop of\u00a0color\u00a0to your garden that attracts a variety of pollinators, but especially hummingbirds and butterflies,\u00a0A.\u00a0formosa\u00a0<\/em>is an excellent\u00a0(and\u00a0low maintenance)\u00a0option.\u00a0Though it already has a long blooming season, with bloom times between April and August, you\u00a0can increase blooming events by deadheading\u00a0(or removing)\u00a0the spent flowers, which is\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0in Image 3\u00a0(7).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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Image 3: A demonstration on how to deadhead\u00a0A.\u00a0formosa\u00a0<\/em>flowers that have already bloomed (9).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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References:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. TWC Staff. (2023). Plant database: Aquilegia\u00a0formosa.\u00a0Wildflower Center.\u00a0<\/em>Accessed 1 December 2025 from:\u00a0https:\/\/www.wildflower.org\/plants\/result.php?id_plant=aqfo<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Foster, S., & Hobbs, C. (2002).\u00a0Peterson field guide to Western medicinal plants and herbs\u00a0<\/em>(pp. 155-156). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Oregon Flora. (2025).\u00a0Western columbine: Aquilegia\u00a0formosa.<\/em>\u00a0Accessed 1 December 2025 from:\u00a0https:\/\/oregonflora.org\/taxa\/garden.php?taxon=2835<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        1. Eflora. (n.d.).\u00a0Red columbine- Aquilegia\u00a0formosa.<\/em>\u00a0Accessed 1 December 2025 from:\u00a0https:\/\/eflora.neocities.org\/Aquilegia%20formosa<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          1. McClarin, B. (2001). University of Idaho, Stillinger\u00a0herbarium\u00a0(ID:\u00a07c0dfa2b-397f-430d-8bda-d78a155cd968) [Image].\u00a0Oregon Flora.\u00a0<\/em>Accessed 1 December 2025 from:\u00a0https:\/\/oregonflora.org\/collections\/individual\/index.php?occid=3199884\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            1. Bell, N.,\u00a0Langellotto, G,\u00a0Messer, I, Best, L., & Hayes, J. (2023). Portland bee guide.\u00a0Garden Ecology Lab.\u00a0<\/em>Accessed 1 December 2025 from:\u00a0https:\/\/gardenecology.oregonstate.edu\/sites\/agscid7\/files\/gardenecology\/portland_bee_guide_-_final.pdf<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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              1. Portland Nursery. (n.d.).\u00a0Aquilegia: Columbine<\/em>. Accessed 1 December 2025 from: https:\/\/www.portlandnursery.com\/natives\/aquilegia\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                1. USDA. (2025).\u00a0Aquilegia express: The columbine flower [Image]<\/em>. Accessed 1 December 2025 from:\u00a0https:\/\/www.fs.usda.gov\/wildflowers\/beauty\/columbines\/flower.shtml<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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                  1. Skekhdar, K. (2024). Growing Aquilegia makes an excellent seeding plant in a shady\u00a0garden [Image].\u00a0Horticulture Magazine.\u00a0<\/em>Accessed 1 December 2025 from: https:\/\/horticulture.co.uk\/aquilegia\/\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    Header Image: Hollinger, J. (2010). Aquilegia\u00a0formosa- Western Columbine [Image]. Wikimedia Commons. Accessed 8 December 2025 from:\u00a0https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/d\/d8\/Western_Columbine_%284974246521%29.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      <\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      In this plant of the week, we are highlighting the Western\u00a0columbine, or\u00a0Aquilegia\u00a0formosa.\u00a0This perennial flower is native to the western part of North America, with occurrences in the western U.S. and throughout Canada and Alaska (1, 2). A welcome sight in Oregon gardens,\u00a0A.\u00a0formosa\u00a0invites novice and experienced gardeners with its\u00a0low maintenance\u00a0nature. It does best in partial shade […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14282,"featured_media":3223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1295190,1178798],"tags":[1295412],"class_list":["post-3220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-native-plants","category-plant-of-the-week","tag-plant-of-the-week","has-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2786\/files\/2025\/12\/Western_Columbine_4974246521.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14282"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3220"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3225,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3220\/revisions\/3225"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}