Aquilegia (jonesii)

Tara Luna USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana 59936 (406) 888-7835 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Ranunculaceae
Family Common Name:	Buttercup family
Scientific Name:	Aquilegia jonesii Parry
Common Name:	Limestone columbine
Species Code:	AQUJON
Ecotype:	Limestone talus and scree slope, Glacier National Park, Glacier Co., MT.,7000' elevation.
General Distribution:	A. jonesii inhabits stony calcareous soils in exposed alpine ridges and slopes. It is associated with open, limestone scree slopes and rock crevices, or in alpine cushion plant communities. It is endemic from southwest Alberta to northwest Wyoming, east of the Continental Divide.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	160 ml container
Time To Grow:	2 Years
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Container seedling<br> Height: 2 cm<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: firm plug in conetainer.
Propagule Collection:	A. jonesiiflowers in late June to mid-July after snowmelt. Follicles mature from early to late August. Follicles are collected when they become woody and tan in color and just as they begin to to split open. Seeds are black at maturity. Seeds are hand collected in paper bags and kept in a drying shed.
Propagule Processing:	Seeds are easily removed from the opened follicles by shaking paper bags and screening seeds to remove fine debris. Seed longevity is unknown. Aquilegia seeds are reported to remain viable for less than 2 years at room temperature. Seeds must be stored at low temperatures and humidity levels in sealed containers to prolonge longevity. Seed dormancy is classified as morpho-physiological dormancy. Seeds/Kg: 880,000/kg % Purity: 100% % Germination: 40%
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Fresh seeds are treated with 500 to 1000 ppm gibberellic acid for 24 hours. After treatment, seeds are rinsed with running water. Seeds are surface sownfor the light requirement. Seeds are surface sown in containers during fall and placed in the outdoor nursery to undergo a prolonged, 5 month cold, moist stratification. Seeds germinate the following spring under fluctuating temperatures. Alternately, seeds can be placed into artificial cold, moist stratification in the refrigerator at 1 C. After 120 days, refrigerator temperature is raised to 3 C and seeds are exposed to light 12 hrs per day. Seeds begin to germinate and are planted as germinants, ensuring that the radicle is covered with moist medium but leaving the top of the seed exposed on the surface of the medium. Seeds continue to germinate at 3 C for another 4 to 5 weeks. Germinants are sown in a temperature controlled greenhouse set at 21 to 23 C (day)12 hrs/10 to 15 C (night)12 hrs.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Greenhouse and Outdoor Nursery growing facility. Growing medium used is 70% 6:1:1 milled sphagnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite and 30% coarse sand with dolomitic lime and Osmocote controlled release fertilizer (13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 to 9 month release rate at 21C) and Micromax fertilizer (12%S, 0.1%B, 0.5%Cu, 12%Fe, 2.5%Mn, 0.05%Mo, 1%Zn) at the rate of 1 gram of Osmocote and 0.20 gram of Micromax per 172 ml container. Seedlings are hand watered and remain in greenhouse until mid May. Seedlings are then moved to outdoor nursery for the remainder of the growing season. Seedlings are irrigated with Rainbird automatic irrigation system in early morning until containers are thoroughly leached. Average growing season of nursery is from late April after snowmelt until October 15th.
Establishment Phase:	Medium is kept slightly moist during establishment. After seedlings are well established, they must dry down slightly between irrigations. This species has a fleshy root system that requires good medium aeration and careful irrigation practices.
Length of Establishment Phase:	8 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Root development occurs rapidly following germination. Seedlings form a tight rosette of leaves and an extensive root system. Seedlings can be potted into larger containers, ensuring that a well aerated medium with dolomitic lime is used.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	12 weeks
Hardening Phase:	Irrigation is gradually reduced in September and October.
Length of Hardening Phase:	4 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Total Time To Harvest: 1.5 to 2 years Harvest Date: August of the 2nd year. Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam cover and snow.
Length of Storage:	5 months
Other Comments:	A jonesii exhibit prolonged seed dormancy and germination. The GA3 treatment and exposure to light enhances germination. However, some seeds may not germinate until the second year. Seeds that are not treated with gibbrellic acid require an after-ripening period of 1.5 years (alternating cycles of warm, moist stratification 6 months/cold, moist stratification 6 months/warm, moist stratification 6 months. Germination occurs at temperatures above 21C the second year after sowing. Vegetative Propagation: Mature plants of A jonesii produce a tight rossette of ramets. These can be carefully removed from the parent plant, treated with 1,000 ppm rooting hormone powder and placed in a 1:1 (v:v) sand and perlite rooting medium in an intermittent mist bed with bottom heat maintained at 21 C. Misting frequency and duration must be carefully monitored during rooting to prevent stem and root rot. After ramets have well developed root systems, they can be potted into well aerated medium with lime and grown following the same practices described for seedlings. Rooted ramets can be kept in a overwintering structure to provide additional protection.
References:	Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, 7th edition, University of Washington Press, 1973. Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species, Hassell, Wendel, U.S.D.I. and U.S.D.A., April 1996. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, Baskin and Baskin, Academic Press, 1998.

Citation:

Luna, Tara; Wick, Dale. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Aquilegia jonesii Parry plants 160 ml container; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/04/19). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.