Columbine hybrid, Aquilegia sp.
My Atlanta Garden
Last year I planted a yellow columbine, Aquilegia chrysantha, in a patch of wild columbine, Aquilegia canadensis. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I was unaware that columbine are often cross-pollinated. The result for me was a beautiful hybrid flower about three times the size of the wild columbine. However, only a few of the blossoms on the stalk are these large blooms while the remainder are tiny, typical of the wild columbine. No sign of the A. chrysantha - but you may view my image from June 13, 2019 in my photostream.
I found some interesting information on the U.S. Forest Service website if you would like to learn more. "In areas where populations of different species of columbines overlap or where reproductive isolation is not complete, interbreeding and hybridization is a common occurrence. The ease of hybridization in the wild is because these species of columbine are so similar at the DNA level and have only recently evolved from a common ancestor. This has led to columbines becoming the classic textbook example of “adaptive radiation,” where speciation has occurred rapidly to produce a variety of species.
Many wildflower enthusiasts and botanists have observed pollen-gathering bumblebees visiting various species of yellow, red, blue, and white flowered columbines where different species grow in close proximity. In the western United States, the red-flowered columbines are mainly pollinated by hummingbirds. However, on rare occasions hummingbirds have been observed gathering nectar from yellow and white flowered columbines which are generally pollinated by hawk moths."
www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/columbines/birdsandbees....;
Columbine hybrid, Aquilegia sp.
My Atlanta Garden
Last year I planted a yellow columbine, Aquilegia chrysantha, in a patch of wild columbine, Aquilegia canadensis. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I was unaware that columbine are often cross-pollinated. The result for me was a beautiful hybrid flower about three times the size of the wild columbine. However, only a few of the blossoms on the stalk are these large blooms while the remainder are tiny, typical of the wild columbine. No sign of the A. chrysantha - but you may view my image from June 13, 2019 in my photostream.
I found some interesting information on the U.S. Forest Service website if you would like to learn more. "In areas where populations of different species of columbines overlap or where reproductive isolation is not complete, interbreeding and hybridization is a common occurrence. The ease of hybridization in the wild is because these species of columbine are so similar at the DNA level and have only recently evolved from a common ancestor. This has led to columbines becoming the classic textbook example of “adaptive radiation,” where speciation has occurred rapidly to produce a variety of species.
Many wildflower enthusiasts and botanists have observed pollen-gathering bumblebees visiting various species of yellow, red, blue, and white flowered columbines where different species grow in close proximity. In the western United States, the red-flowered columbines are mainly pollinated by hummingbirds. However, on rare occasions hummingbirds have been observed gathering nectar from yellow and white flowered columbines which are generally pollinated by hawk moths."
www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/columbines/birdsandbees....;