Aquilegia atropurpurea and Aquilegia viridiflora

[maggiepie]

Today I noticed the backs of the leaves of my viridiflora atropurpurea are a beautiful purple colour when the sun shines on them.
I have a viridiflora that I wintered indoors ( long story) that actually has a flower bud at the moment. The backs of the leaves are green.
So I am wondering if the purple backs of the leaves are the difference.

[Maggi Young]

Helen, I would think that a plant with more purple in the flower would be likely to have more purple somewhere else,too, be it leaf backs, stems etc.
The opposite effect from , say, Lewisia plants where the white flowered tweedyi and cotyledon, for instance, have noticeably fresher green foliage than any of the coloured varieties.

[maggiepie]

So, Maggi, are you saying that the seedlings with the purple backed leaves will have more purple on the flowers?
That this is just a varietion of A. viridiflora?
I need more clues 
Thought I was onto something here 

[Maggi Young]

Since it seems to be that atropurpurea has more purple inthe flower, then I would expect it to have more colour in the foliage too... so the seedlings may show the same level of variation in flower colour....

[Great Moravian]

Aquilegia atropurpurea is usually cultivated as Aquilegia viridiflora.
The latter is depicted in the links below
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/73673.html
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/73672.html
The following links are probably misidentifications.
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/55932.html
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/55931.html
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/55930.html

[maggiepie]

The first two are beautiful, have never seen this colour before.
Are they scented?


These are what I have grown from seed as A. viridiflora.

[TheOnionMan]

I like all of the Aquilegia shown here so far, particularly the links Josef posted as "probably misidentifications", love the flower color combination of purple sepals and yellow cup, and the distinctly narrow foliage dissection.  I agree Helen, the flowers on viridiflora are striking, certainly appropriately named.

I'm just going "along for the ride" on this, sitting back to learn what develops 

[cohan]

interesting plants, all,--nice colours, helen..
hard to see why the purple flowers should be 'viridi'flora, though i know some species end up having forms that don't match the species name..

[maggiepie]

Cohan, it has always had me wondering the same thing but until now I have never seen the all green flowers.
Now I am wondering even more.
( where to get one haha!!)

[Maggi Young]

Thought it might be interesting to link back to this old thread :
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4984.0

[maggiepie]

Thanks for the link, Maggi.
So, I had seen the green form before and forgotten. I don't think I will forget the new pics anytime soon.

[Great Moravian]

Thought it might be interesting to link back to this old thread :
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4984.0

Maggi,

Perhaps you could append my thread to the old one.
I was not aware of it.

[Maggi Young]

Certainly, I will merge the two threads.


 These plants are so interesting- I must confess that  for me the scent of these green and purple varieties is the most enticing feature after their delicate form.

[Great Moravian]

Aquilegia in the on-line catalogue of the flora of Siberia
   Aquilegia amurense
http://www-sbras.nsc.ru/win/elbib/atlas/flora/3709.html
   Aquilegia atropurpurea
http://www-sbras.nsc.ru/win/elbib/atlas/flora/3710.html
   Aquilegia borodinii
http://www-sbras.nsc.ru/win/elbib/atlas/flora/3920.html
   Aquilegia burjatica
http://www-sbras.nsc.ru/win/elbib/atlas/flora/3711.html
   Aquilegia glandulosa
http://www-sbras.nsc.ru/win/elbib/atlas/flora/408.html
   Aquilegia leptoceras
http://www-sbras.nsc.ru/win/elbib/atlas/flora/3712.html
   Aquilegia oxysepala  
http://www-sbras.nsc.ru/win/elbib/atlas/flora/3713.html
   Aquilegia parviflora
http://www-sbras.nsc.ru/win/elbib/atlas/flora/3459.html
   Aquilegia sibirica  
http://www-sbras.nsc.ru/win/elbib/atlas/flora/3714.html
   Aquilegia viridiflora
http://www-sbras.nsc.ru/win/elbib/atlas/flora/3733.html
---
The plant posted by Helen is undoubtedly Aquilegia atropurpurea in the recent Russian approach presented above.
---
The approach is different in Flora of China.
5a. Aquilegia viridiflora var. viridiflora Sepals and petals yellowish green.
5b. Aquilegia viridiflora var. atropurpurea (Willdenow) Finet & Gagnepain Sepals and petals dark purple.

[Great Moravian]

Certainly, I will merge the two threads.

Thank you.