Aquilegia sibirica, as known as the Siberian columbine, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Aquilegia native to the north-central Asian regions of Siberia, northern Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Xinjiang. A hardy and 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.[2]
Description
The plant has nearly glabrous and bi- and triternate leaves with leaflets that run between one and two inches across.[2] Stems are leafless, with many terminating in flowers.[3] A plant's flowers are lilac-blue to white. The plant may be between one to two feet in height.[2] As with other Aquilegia, the Siberian columbine possesses spurred nectar petals. Crosses between Aquilegia sibirica and Aquilegia ecalcarata–the only Aquilegia species that lacks spurred pedals–have been studies to identify the gene responsible for spurred pedals.[4]
Considered a medicinal herb in Mongolia, extracts from Aquilegia sibirica have been researched for and found to possess antifungal qualities.[5]
Distribution
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.[6] The population in Middle Siberia is considered a quaternary relict.[7]
The flower was introduced to the United States by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1933.[2] Finnish research has suggested that Aquilegia sibirica is among the Siberian and Far Eastern plants that could prove valuable for northern landscaping.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Aquilegia sibirica". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Inventory No. 115: Plant Material Introduced by the Division of Plant Introduction, Bureau of Plant Industry, April 1 to June 30, 1933 (No. 102378–103406). Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Agriculture. July 1935. p. 44.
- ^ "Aquilegia sibirica". Alpine Garden Society Plant Encyclopedia. Alpine Garden Society. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ "POPOVICH, encoding a C2H2 zinc-finger transcription factor, plays a central role in the development of a key innovation, floral nectar spurs, in Aquilegia". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 117 (36). National Academy of Sciences. 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Antifungal activity of Mongolian medicinal plant extracts". Natural Product Research. 34 (4). Taylor & Francis. 2020.
- ^ Fior, Simone; Li, Mingai; Oxelman, Bengt; Viola, Roberto; Hodges, Scott A.; Ometto, Lino; Varotto, Claudio (5 February 2013). "Spatiotemporal reconstruction of the Aquilegia rapid radiation through next-generation sequencing of rapidly evolving cpDNA regions". New Phytologist. 198 (2). Wiley-Blackwell: 325–633.
- ^ "A Geographical Analysis of the Family Ranunculaceae". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 76 (4). Missouri Botanical Garden: 1021. 1989.
- ^ "Hardy plants for landscaping and restoration in northern Finland". Environment, Local Society and Sustainable Tourism (PDF). Artic Centre Reports. Vol. 50. University of Lapland. 2007. p. 63.