Aquilegia (formosa)

jtrindle USDA NRCS - Corvallis Plant Materials Center 3415 NE Granger Ave Corvallis, Oregon 58413 (541)757-4812 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/orpmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Ranunculaceae
Family Common Name:	Buttercup
Scientific Name:	Aquilegia formosa Fisch. ex DC.
Common Name:	western columbine
Species Code:	AQFO
Ecotype:	Crater Lake National Park, 6,300 to 6,600 ft elevations
General Distribution:	Pacific coast states, great basin states, Utah and Nevada. In Crater Lake NP, grows at moderate elevations in partially open to wooded areas; not abundant but widely scattered in areas where soil retains moisture.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	1-yr plugs (10
Time To Grow:	0
Target Specifications:	Well-developed crown growth, roots filling length of cone
Propagule Collection:	Hand harvested - uniquely shaped seed pods are easily identifiable in field; but only small and scattered quantities available in park
Propagule Processing:	Follicles normally dry and split open at maturity. Gently crush dried seed heads to release remaining seeds; cleaned with "office clipper" air-screen. The papery, light pod chaff is easily separated from seed.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Fairly long moist pre-chill improved germination; seeded cones stored for 6 months in a cold walk-in cooler with soil surface kept moist, produced more than 15% germination. Germination tests at Oregon State University seed lab were reported at just 8% with a 3-day prechill treatment.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	3 to 5 seeds each were sown into Ray-leach SC-10 super cells filled with Fisons' Sunshine #1 potting mix, amended with 3-month slow-release Osmocote NPK fertilizer and small amounts of Micromax trace elements. Cones were well-watered and placed in to a walk-in cooler at 40 F for 6 months cold-stratification. (seed could also be stratified in moist peat moss and sown into cones after stratification, if desired).
Establishment Phase:	Cones were moved outdoors to shadehouse in mid-spring to germinate. Initial germination is spotty, and initial growth is quite slow. Seedlings need light but fairly frequent watering to keep soil moist but not soggy.
Length of Establishment Phase:	slow; about 3 months
Active Growth Phase:	Crown development is fairly slow and steady throughout the season. Plants were fertilized in July with half-strength Peters 9-45-15. Root growth is also fairly slow - roots did not reach bottoms of containers for about 3 months. By mid-summer, extensive foliage development made it somewhat difficult to use overhead sprinkling - the cones were hand-watered, moving the watering wand through the foliage to reach the relatively small cone surfaces. Plants did not recover easily from becoming too dried out.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	June to August
Hardening Phase:	No fertilizer is applied in August, and watering intervals are gradually lengthened once adequate root development has occurred.
Length of Hardening Phase:	August - September.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Well-watered plants were shipped in their containers by refrigerated van in August to the park, up to a holding facility at the where they were maintained in a shadehouse for an additional 2 weeks prior to outplanting in September.
Length of Storage:	Cones could be held over winter, but spring regrowth at the PMC was slow and spotty; plants were easily overgrown by liverworts / mosses in cool wet spring weather
Other Comments:	Seeds stored at Corvallis PMC in cold, dry conditions (34 to 38F, low humidity) remained viable for at least 3 years; longer-term tests were not conducted.
References:	Flora of the Pacific Northwest, C. L. Hitchcock and A. Cronquist, University of Washington Press, 1973. Link, Ellen, ed. 1993 Native Plant Propagation Techniques for National Parks Interim Guide; Compiled by Rose Lake Plant Materials Center 7472 Stoll Road East Lansing, MI 48823 Rose, Robin, C.E.C. Chachulski and D. Haase. Propagation of Pacific Northwest Native Plants 1998 Or. State U. Press, Corvallis, Oregon US Dept of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1937. Range Plant Handbook. Washington, D.C.: GPO. Reprint, Dover Publications, Inc., 1988 USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Citation:

Flessner, Theresa R; Trindle, Joan D.C.. 2003. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Aquilegia formosa Fisch. ex DC. plants 1-yr plugs (10; USDA NRCS - Corvallis Plant Materials Center Corvallis, Oregon. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/04/26). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.