Wild Columbine

Native distribution

Native to the Finger Lakes Region

Cultivation

An adaptable spring-blooming plant with delicate foliage and 12-36" tall orange and red flowers.
Light: full sun to full shade.
Moisture and Soil: moist to dry.

Propagation

Seed Treatment and Storage: No special germination requirements. Seeds germinate best when brought to 70°F in seed starting mix or similar medium.

Biocultural value

The Cherokee, Haudenosaunee, and Meskwaki prescribed an infusion of wild columbine for heart troubles, reactions to poison ivy, and diarrhea. The Ponca, Pawnee, and Omaha crushed wild columbine seeds and used them to treat headaches and fever. Seeds were also collected for their fragrance and used as a tobacco additive (Meskwaki) and perfume (Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca). Several groups included the seeds in love medicine.

The statements above were sourced from:

Native American Ethnobotany Database: http://naeb.BRIT Native American Ethnobotany Database.org/

Wildlife value

Wild columbine's flowering period coincides with the return of migrating hummingbirds, making the plant an important energy source when few other plants are in bloom. It is also a larval host plant for the columbine duskywing butterfly (Erynnis lucilius) and the columbine borer moth (Papaipema leucostigma). An introduced sawfly, Pristophora aquiligae, actively feeds on columbine foliage, often devouring the plant except for leaf midveins and petioles. The fattened larvae are a food source for a variety of wasps and birds. Wild columbine flowers offer abundant nectar deep within corolla spurs which insects access either by forcing their head into the spur or creating perforations at the tip. Queen bumble bees (Bombus spp.) also collect pollen by grasping the filaments and scraping pollen from the anthers. Sweat bees (Lasioglossum sp.) feed on columbine nectar and pollen.

Location

Mundy Wildflower Garden, Bald Hill and Caroline Pinnacles, Coy Glen, Edwards Lake Cliffs Preserve, McLean Bogs, Ringwood Ponds

Status

L4|S5|G5