Aquilegia chrysantha A. Gray var. rydbergii Munz
Synonym: Aquilegia chrysantha A. Gray var. chrysantha
Family: Ranunculaceae
Description: Colorado populations of A. chrysantha supposedly
have spurs only 35-40 mm long, which was the justification for
the varietal status.
Specimens Seen or Cited: There are no collections of var. rydbergii at
UNM, NMSU, UTEP, NAU, ASU, BYU, San Juan College, and NNHP. The
herbarium in Boulder, Colorado, has 7 collections, all from El
Paso Co, CO, where it appears to be the common variety.
Discussion: Alan T. Whittemore, who did the treatment of Aquilegia
for the Flora of North America believes that material called A. chrysantha
var. rydbergii seen from Colorado falls within the normal range
of variation for the species and should be treated as a synonym of the common
A. chrysantha.
Important Literature:
Flora of North America Committee, eds. 1997. Flora of North America, Vol. 3. Oxford
University Press.
Information Compiled By: Daniela Roth, 1998
