Aquilegia desolaticola, the desolation columbine or Desolation Canyon columbine, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, endemic to Utah.
Description Aquilegia desolaticola grows to between in height, with smooth or downy stems forming large clumps. The basal leaves are long, smooth, and biternate. The plant produces one or more nodding golden-yellow flowers which may have a bluish or pinkish tinge and measure 7–10 mm in length, with the stamens protruding by another 7–12 mm. The flower spurs are yellow and measure .
Taxonomy Although closely resembling the golden columbine Aquilegia chrysantha, this species is probably most closely related to Aquilegia barnebyi. It is part of a clade containing all the North American species of columbines that likely split from their closest relatives in East Asia in the mid-Pliocene, approximately 3.84 million years ago.
Etymology The specific epithet desolaticola is taken from the plant's habitat, Desolation Canyon.
Distribution and habitat Aquilegia desolaticola is endemic to Utah and only known from the remote Desolation Canyon on the Green River. It inhabits seeps and adjacent most sandy soils in the Peace River Formation at altitudes of .
Conservation , NatureServe listed Aquilegia desolaticola as Imperiled (G2). This status was last reviewed on . NatureServe notes that its habitat is isolated from people and livestock, limiting the threat to the species.
References