Aquilegia parviflora Ledeb.

Flowering stems numerous 10-80 cm, branched. Basal leaves leathery, biternate, deeply lobed, with thickened margin. Flowers numerous, 2,5-3,5 cm across, blue with white petals. V - early spring to late autumn. Fl - mid spring for 2-3 weeks. Fr - one month after flowering. P - by seed. Requires a sunny or semi-shaded position. A very elegant species. Well suited for the rock garden and for flower beds. Z 4. New.

Stems 15--45 cm tall, glabrous, unbranched or apically branched. Basal leaves few, 2-ternate; petiole 4--14 cm; leaf blade subleathery, abaxially sparsely pubescent or glabrous, adaxially glabrous; lateral leaflets usually sessile, obliquely obovate, unequally 2-lobed; central leaflet obovate to obovate-cuneate, 1.6--3.5 × 1.1--2.2 cm, 3-lobed and segments with 2 or 3 teeth. Stem leaves usually absent. Inflorescences cymose, 3--6-flowered; bracts parted. Flowers suberect, ca. 3 cm in diam. Pedicel 2--4 cm. Sepals spreading, bluish purple or seldom white, ovate, 1.2--2 × 0.9--1.2 cm. Petals bluish purple, suberect, broadly ovate, ca. 6 mm; spur 3--5 mm, straight or apically slightly bent. Stamens shorter than petals; anthers yellow, oblong. Staminodes narrowly elliptic, 5--6 mm. Pistils 5, glandular pubescent. Follicles 1.2--2.3 cm; persistent styles ca. 4 mm. Seeds ca. 2 mm. Fl. Jun.

Eastern Siberia (Dauria) and northeastern China. In clearings in forests and in meadows.

N Heilongjiang [Japan, Mongolia, Russia (E Siberia)].

Forests, margin of forests; 2500--3500 m.