Rare Plant Profile – Jones’ Columbine (Aquilegia jonesii Parry)
Jones’ columbine (Aquilegia jonesii Parry) is a dwarf perennial herb in the Ranunculaceae Family[1]. It is the smallest of all columbines, capping its height at ~12 cm, an adaptation that allows it to survive in the harsh alpine and subalpine environments within which it is found. This plant has a low-growing cushion-like growth form and relatively larger, showy purple flowers[2]. Its crowded, compound leaves are finely hairy, greyish in colour with a thin, waxy coating on both surfaces, and blades rarely over 1 centimeter in length[3]. Its spurred flowers are erect, with 5 deep blue or purple sepals and 5 often whitish petals[4]. Its nectar-producing spurs attract pollinators including moths and bumble bees[5],[6]. A floral nectar spur is an example of a key innovation, a novel feature that allows an organism to exploit its environment in unique ways that may lead to increased diversification rates[7]. Floral nectar spurs can increase diversification rates because of their ability to attract specialized pollinators[8]. In columbines, the nectar spurs attract long- tongued pollinators that can reach the nectar stored at the spur tips[9].
In Canada, Jones’ columbine is restricted to rocky limestone sites in the Alpine and Subalpine Natural Subregions of Alberta[10]. The conservation status rank of Jones’ columbine is G3, or Vulnerable, globally, N1 or Critically Imperilednationally, and S1, or Critically Imperiled provincially[11]. These rankings are due to the very limited range of the plant[12] and because of its limited number of occurrences globally, as well as within Alberta.
To learn more about rare plants of Alberta, visit the links provided in the footnotes, and stay tuned for the ANPC’s second edition of the Rare Vascular Plants of Alberta book. This is one of many conservation initiatives that ANPC is working on. Please remember to renew your membership, as ANPC relies on membership dues and donations to support this and other conservation and education initiatives.
Photos by L. Allen
[1] https://www.albertaparks.ca/albertaparksca/management-land-use/alberta-conservation-information-management-system-acims/download-data/
[2] https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/columbines/aquilegia_jonesii.shtml
[3] Kershaw, L.; Gould, J.; Johnson, D.; Lancaster, J. 2001. Rare vascular plants of Alberta. Univ. Alberta Press, Edmonton, Alberta and Nat. Resour. Can., Can. For. Serv., North. For. Cent., Edmonton, Alberta
[6] https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=PDRAN050D0
[7] https://www.pnas.org/content/117/36/22552
[9] Kershaw, L.; Gould, J.; Johnson, D.; Lancaster, J. 2001. Rare vascular plants of Alberta. Univ. Alberta Press, Edmonton, Alberta and Nat. Resour. Can., Can. For. Serv., North. For. Cent., Edmonton, Alberta
[10] https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.155495/Aquilegia_jonesii
[12] http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=5568&flora_id=1