Graham's columbine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Graham's columbine
Conservation status
Critically Imperiled (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Ranunculaceae
Genus:	Aquilegia
Species:	A. grahamii
Binomial name
Aquilegia grahamii S.L.Welsh & Goodrich
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Synonyms
Aquilegia micrantha var. grahamii (S.L. Welsh & Goodrich) N.H. Holmgren & P.K.Holmgren

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Graham's columbine, also known as Aquilegia grahamii, is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the buttercup family. This special plant is found only in Utah, United States. Specifically, it grows in Uintah County. You can find it in three canyons near the Uinta Mountains. Scientists estimate there are about 5,000 to 10,000 of these plants.

What Does Graham's Columbine Look Like?

Graham's columbine is a type of herb. This means it has soft stems, not woody ones like a tree. It can grow to be about 25 to 60 centimeters tall. That's roughly the height of a two-liter soda bottle!

Its leaves are quite interesting. They are "biternate," which means each leaf has three groups of three smaller leaflets. These leaves can be up to 24 centimeters long. They are also a bit sticky and have tiny hairs called glandular hairs.

The flowers of Graham's columbine are very pretty. Each plant can have six or more flowers. They tend to "nod," meaning they hang downwards. The center of the flower is yellow, and it has red to purple "spurs." These spurs are like little tubes that stick out from the back of the flower. The plant usually blooms in June and July.

Where Does Graham's Columbine Live?

This unique plant likes to grow near sandstone cliffs. It often shares its home with another plant called Calamagrostis scopulorum. This shows how different plants can live together in the same environment.