Botany

Aquilegia confusa

Aquilegia confusa is a partially accepted species of flowering plant of the genus Aquilegia (columbines) in the family Ranunculaceae that is endemic to the eastern and southern European Alps in Switzerland and Italy. Growing between 8 cm (3.1 in) and 57 cm (22 in) tall, A. confusa produces fragrant violet flowers between June and September. The entirety of the plant, particularly its seeds, are toxic to humans. The species likely radiated out from the Balkans, part of a larger group of Aquilegia that expanded into the Central Alps. As a result of the expanding and contracting of glaciers isolating populations of the species, A. confusa has two distinct forms. In the western higher-elevation populations, the species has adapted to better survive in open sunshine and have lower genetic diversity within individual populations. In eastern population, the species is better adapted to lower, shadier elevations and greater competition for pollinators. Some taxonomic authorities consider A. confusa synonymous with the more prevalent Aquilegia einseleana, with the two having ranges that overlap. A. eisenleana and Aquilegia atrata both hybridize with A. confusa.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Cyrtosperma
• ▸Avaldsnes Church
• ▸Erythranthe naiandina

Uncatalogued shelf

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