Aquilegia sibirica | |
---|---|
Aquilegia sibirica (Siberian columbine) | |
Botanical illustration by Pierre Jean François Turpin | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Ranunculales |
Family: | Ranunculaceae |
Genus: | Aquilegia |
Species: | A. sibirica
|
Binomial name | |
Aquilegia sibirica | |
Synonyms [1] | |
List
|
Aquilegia sibirica, the Siberian columbine, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae's native to the north-central Asian regions of Siberia, northern Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Xinjiang. [1] [2] A hardy perennial plant, it prefers temperate environments. [1] The Siberian columbine can be between one and two feet tall with flowers that are lilac-blue and white in color. [3]
A. sibirica diverged as a separate species from Aquilegia ecalcarata–the only Aquilegia species to lack nectar spurs–between 4.5 and 6 million years ago. Crosses between the two species have been studied to determine what gene is responsible for Aquilegia nectar spurs. In Mongolia, A. sibirica is considered a medicinal herb and extracts from the plant have been determined to act as an antifungal agent.
The Siberian columbine was first described with the binomial Aquilegia sibirica in 1783 within Jean-Baptiste Lamarck's botanical volume for Encyclopédie Méthodique. [4] The plant had been previously described as Aquilegia vulgaris var. sibirica in 1767 within the 12th edition of Systema Naturae. [5]
By 1892, the Siberian columbine was identified as a close relative of the northern North American Aquilegia brevistyla, the smallflower columbine. [6] The plant's appearance is very proximate to that of Aquilegia flabellata native to the Japanese Alps. [7] [8] [note 1] A hybrid between A. sibirica and Aquilegia glandulosa, Aquilegia × gubanovii, was identified in Mongolia in 1991. [11] A. sibirica and Aquilegia ecalcarata diverged as separate species between 4.5 and 6 million years ago and remain cross-compatible. [12] Crosses between A. sibirica and A. ecalcarata–the only Aquilegia species that lacks nectar spurs on its petals–have been studied to identify the gene responsible for spurred petals. [13] [note 2]
In common with other Aquilegia species, the Siberian columbine possesses nectar spurs. [13] Pollination of A. sibirica is generally caused by bees. [15] [note 3] The plant prefers temperate environments. Also in common with other Aquilegia, A. sibirica is a hardy perennial plant. [1] [7]
The plant has nearly glabrous bi- and triternate leaves with leaflets that run between one and two inches across. [3] Stems are leafless, with many terminating in flowers. [16] Siberian columbine flowers are lilac-blue to white. The plant may be between one and two feet in height. [3] In northern latitudes, the flower blooms between May and June. [17]
Petals on A. sibirica develop a curvature relatively early and at a shorter length–between 1 centimetre (0.39 in) and 2 centimetres (0.79 in)–than other Aquilegia species. The petals fold longitudinally. As nectar spurs of different Aquilegia species develop, they demonstrate greater variance. In the case of A. sibirica's nectar spurs, they possess greater curvature than those of A. formosa and A. chrysantha. [15]
The plant has been considered a medicinal herb in Mongolia. In the 21st century, extracts from Aquilegia sibirica have been researched for and found to possess antifungal qualities. [18]
Aquilegia sibirica is native to the north-central Asian regions of Siberia, northern Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Xinjiang. [1] Evidence for a continuous Euro-Siberian vegetation is found in the distribution of the Siberian columbine considered alongside that of the Aquilegia vulgaris. [19] The population in Middle Siberia is considered a quaternary relict (a population that once possessed a broader range in an earlier geologic epoch). [20]
In open portions of the taiga in the Siberian Sayansky District, Siberian columbines and other vascular plants can form a dense, two-meter-tall vegetation that can obscure the view of people traversing through these areas. [21] A. sibirica has also been found in the herb layer of the peatlands along Lake Baikal's eastern coast. [22]
The flower was introduced to the United States by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1933. [3] Finnish research has suggested that Aquilegia sibirica is among the Siberian and Far Eastern plants that could prove valuable for northern landscaping. [23]
Aquilegia sibirica | |
---|---|
Aquilegia sibirica (Siberian columbine) | |
Botanical illustration by Pierre Jean François Turpin | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Ranunculales |
Family: | Ranunculaceae |
Genus: | Aquilegia |
Species: | A. sibirica
|
Binomial name | |
Aquilegia sibirica | |
Synonyms [1] | |
List
|
Aquilegia sibirica, the Siberian columbine, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae's native to the north-central Asian regions of Siberia, northern Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Xinjiang. [1] [2] A hardy perennial plant, it prefers temperate environments. [1] The Siberian columbine can be between one and two feet tall with flowers that are lilac-blue and white in color. [3]
A. sibirica diverged as a separate species from Aquilegia ecalcarata–the only Aquilegia species to lack nectar spurs–between 4.5 and 6 million years ago. Crosses between the two species have been studied to determine what gene is responsible for Aquilegia nectar spurs. In Mongolia, A. sibirica is considered a medicinal herb and extracts from the plant have been determined to act as an antifungal agent.
The Siberian columbine was first described with the binomial Aquilegia sibirica in 1783 within Jean-Baptiste Lamarck's botanical volume for Encyclopédie Méthodique. [4] The plant had been previously described as Aquilegia vulgaris var. sibirica in 1767 within the 12th edition of Systema Naturae. [5]
By 1892, the Siberian columbine was identified as a close relative of the northern North American Aquilegia brevistyla, the smallflower columbine. [6] The plant's appearance is very proximate to that of Aquilegia flabellata native to the Japanese Alps. [7] [8] [note 1] A hybrid between A. sibirica and Aquilegia glandulosa, Aquilegia × gubanovii, was identified in Mongolia in 1991. [11] A. sibirica and Aquilegia ecalcarata diverged as separate species between 4.5 and 6 million years ago and remain cross-compatible. [12] Crosses between A. sibirica and A. ecalcarata–the only Aquilegia species that lacks nectar spurs on its petals–have been studied to identify the gene responsible for spurred petals. [13] [note 2]
In common with other Aquilegia species, the Siberian columbine possesses nectar spurs. [13] Pollination of A. sibirica is generally caused by bees. [15] [note 3] The plant prefers temperate environments. Also in common with other Aquilegia, A. sibirica is a hardy perennial plant. [1] [7]
The plant has nearly glabrous bi- and triternate leaves with leaflets that run between one and two inches across. [3] Stems are leafless, with many terminating in flowers. [16] Siberian columbine flowers are lilac-blue to white. The plant may be between one and two feet in height. [3] In northern latitudes, the flower blooms between May and June. [17]
Petals on A. sibirica develop a curvature relatively early and at a shorter length–between 1 centimetre (0.39 in) and 2 centimetres (0.79 in)–than other Aquilegia species. The petals fold longitudinally. As nectar spurs of different Aquilegia species develop, they demonstrate greater variance. In the case of A. sibirica's nectar spurs, they possess greater curvature than those of A. formosa and A. chrysantha. [15]
The plant has been considered a medicinal herb in Mongolia. In the 21st century, extracts from Aquilegia sibirica have been researched for and found to possess antifungal qualities. [18]
Aquilegia sibirica is native to the north-central Asian regions of Siberia, northern Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Xinjiang. [1] Evidence for a continuous Euro-Siberian vegetation is found in the distribution of the Siberian columbine considered alongside that of the Aquilegia vulgaris. [19] The population in Middle Siberia is considered a quaternary relict (a population that once possessed a broader range in an earlier geologic epoch). [20]
In open portions of the taiga in the Siberian Sayansky District, Siberian columbines and other vascular plants can form a dense, two-meter-tall vegetation that can obscure the view of people traversing through these areas. [21] A. sibirica has also been found in the herb layer of the peatlands along Lake Baikal's eastern coast. [22]
The flower was introduced to the United States by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1933. [3] Finnish research has suggested that Aquilegia sibirica is among the Siberian and Far Eastern plants that could prove valuable for northern landscaping. [23]