Is this Aquilegia eximia or formosa?

[maggiepie]

I purchased seed of both species a few years ago.
I thought this plant was A. eximia but now am wondering if it is formosa.
Hoping someone can give a postive ID.

[Maggi Young]

Couple of useful pages to these and with links to other red columbines, Helen....

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/columbines/aquilegia_eximia.shtml
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/columbines/aquilegia_formosa.shtml

[maggiepie]

Thanks, Maggi, I spent quite a lot of time looking at pics earlier today but really can't decide one way or another which it is.
I am swinging towards formosa though.

[Maggi Young]

I found one reference which said the two were synonyms, Helen! But the name searches show them as different.  Not an easy one to call !

 This old illustration at least shows the foliage.... if it's accurate!
http://www.meemelink.com/prints%20pages/13640.Ranunculaceae%20-%20Aquilegia%20formosa.htm

[maggiepie]

Maggi, maybe I'll get lucky and an aquilegia expert will drop in.
 

[Maggi Young]

I expect one... or two, will do just that! 

[maggiepie]

Goodie!!

 

[Great Moravian]

The taxonomists are clearly not certain about the identity of Aquilegia eximia.
The first image in the treatment found by Maggi
matches the description in Flora of North America whereas the images
by Cooper provided by the Smithsonian Institution don't.
It is necessary to consult the original description.

[alpines]

Helen,
Check out the USDA links below for eximia and formosa respectively.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=aqex_001_ahp.tif
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=AQFO&photoID=aqfo_004_ahp.tif

Hard to differentiate from a photo but there's lots of useful info on the USDA site.
Alan

[TheOnionMan]

Helen, I'm 99% sure your plant is A. formosa, and equally sure that it is NOT A. eximia.

Alan, regarding the two USDA links... I'm typically a fan of the USDA plant profile pages, they are typically useful and dependable, but they do occasionally get their information wrong and sometimes get their photos wrong, and their photos of A. eximia are clearly wrong.

Take a look at the US Forest Service enlarged photo (1st link) and the CalPhotos gallery, and in both you'll notice the highly unique, if not strange scoop-like truncate shape of the "corolla tubes", like no other species.  It's getting late tonight, but I will follow up with scans of excellent line drawings from Gentes Herbarium monograph on Aquilegia, that clearly shows this same strange floral structure of A. eximia, along a line drawing of the much more widespread and variable.A. formosa.

Aquilegia eximia
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/columbines/images/aeximia/aquilegia_eximia_bkelly_lg.jpg
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-taxon=Aquilegia+eximia

The illustration from Flora of North America is very telling too.  There is a variety of A. formosa named var. truncata (see illustration) but it still has short laminae, whereas A. eximia is unusual in completely lacking laminae (expanded blade-like part of a petal).
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=40994&flora_id=1

Interesting usage of A. formosa by native Americans described in FNA:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500105

[Great Moravian]

Helen, I'm 99% sure your plant is A. formosa, and equally sure that it is NOT A. eximia.
Alan, regarding the two USDA links... I'm typically a fan of the USDA plant profile pages, they are typically useful and dependable, but they do occasionally get their information wrong and sometimes get their photos wrong, and their photos of A. eximia are clearly wrong.

McMark,
You are a strange American. Using own brain instead of following authorities. I wonder who you really are.

[Maggi Young]

Helen, I'm 99% sure your plant is A. formosa, and equally sure that it is NOT A. eximia.
Alan, regarding the two USDA links... I'm typically a fan of the USDA plant profile pages, they are typically useful and dependable, but they do occasionally get their information wrong and sometimes get their photos wrong, and their photos of A. eximia are clearly wrong.

McMark,
You are a strange American. Using own brain instead of following authorities. I wonder who you really are.

Must be an example of how spending quality time among forumists can be advantageous, Josef! 

[TheOnionMan]

The taxonomy between A. formosa and A. eximia is clear cut.  In fair use, here is a screen capture from the online Flora of North America showing Aquilegia formosa var. truncata and Aquilegia eximia.  The flowers on A. eximia are so distinct, looking like tapered cornucopias glued together into a jester's hat, the impression completed with the ascending sepals poking through. The complete lack of an apparent corona is what makes this species so unique in appearance.