Aquilegia barnebyi, commonly known as the oil shale columbine or Barneby's columbine,[2][1] is a perennial species of flowering plant in the buttercup family, with a native range comprising northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado in the United States.[3][4][5] It is named after Rupert Charles Barneby,[6] who, with Harry Dwight Dillon Ripley, first discovered it in Colorado.[7][8]
Plants grow 30–80 cm (12–31 in) tall,[3] with a spread of up to 30 in (76 cm).[9] Leaves are compound, as with other species of Aquilegia, and are 5–30 cm (2.0–11.8 in) in diameter. Its nodding flowers have pink sepals, while the petals are yellow with reddish-pink spurs.[10][8]
Aquilegia barnebyi is endemic to the Uinta Basin (Duchesne and Uintah counties)[2] in Utah,[11] and to Garfield, Gunnison, Montrose, Pitkin, and Rio Blanco counties in Colorado.[2] It grows on moist,[3] exposed oil shale in cliffs and rocky slopes,[12][10] and in pinyon-juniper woodlands.[13] In the 1980s it was thought to be rare in Utah,[14] and was considered for protection under the Endangered Species Act; as of 2021, it thought to be sufficiently widespread and abundant as not to be at risk of extinction.[15]
Analysis of chloroplast DNA showed A. barnebyi is closely related to A. coerulea,[16] a species of Aquilegia native to southern Wyoming, Colorado, and northern New Mexico.[17]
Aquilegia barnebyi grows in full sun to part shade,[5] and is suitable for rock gardens.[9] It is drought tolerant, but is not tolerant of salty conditions.[12] Aquilegia 'Firelight' is a cultivar that has been selected for shorter stems and ombre yellow–pink flowers.[13]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Aquilegia barnebyi, commonly known as the oil shale columbine or Barneby's columbine, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the buttercup family, with a native range comprising northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado in the United States. It is named after Rupert Charles Barneby, who, with Harry Dwight Dillon Ripley, first discovered it in Colorado.
