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| | VNPS 1998 Plant of the Year - Wild Columbine (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26) |
 | | Aquilegia is a Latin word of uncertain origin; probably, it was derived from aquilegus, meaning "water collector," in allusion to the fluid at the base of the petal's spur, but perhaps from aquila, an eagle, because the spurs suggested the talons of an eagle to Linnaeus. |
 | | In the wild or in the garden, this widely distributed, singular beauty of rocky woodlands and cliffs ranks high in Virginia's treasury of native wildflowers. |
 | | In the United States and Canada, 18 genera and over 250 species are indigenous; especially notable genera are Anemone (anemones and windflowers), Aquilegia (columbines), Clematis, Delphinium (larkspurs), Ranunculus (buttercups), and Thalictrum (meadow-rues). |
| www.vnps.org /columbine.html (1245 words) |
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