#Aquilegia atrata

[florealegiardini]

A muddle of Allium ‘Purple Rain’, Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ and Aquilegia atrata welcomed me as I bound out the back door home from the Chelsea Flower Show this evening. 💜🧡 ~ Ann-Marie Powell

[francescointoppa]

A - Aquilegia atrata W.D.J.Koch - Aquilegia scura (Ranunculaceae)

[el-the-cell]

Currently working as a waiter and cleaner at a mountain hut in Friuli. It's tough but very nice. I'm glad to be working. There's no internet connection, so we use the satellite and the radio bridge for phone calls (that's been the same in use since the '70 wow).

Here's a cool flower that grows there: Aquilegia atrata

And here's the 3 liter moka we use for the coffe.

[wildetuinplanten]

Wilde akelei en donkere akelei. Ranonkelfamilie

Wilde akelei en donkere akelei. Ranonkelfamilie

Wilde akelei, Aquilegia vulgaris De wilde akelei, Aquilegia vulgaris en de donkere akelei, Aquilegia atrata zijn typische bosrandbewoners. Op open plekken in het bos, langs paden, onder houtwallen zijn ze te vinden. Ook wel in de volle zon maar dan toch met een klein beetje schaduw ergens. In onze omgeving behoorlijk zeldzaam in het wild en vooral de donkere akelei zul je toch wat vaker in…

[lycomorpha]

Flora of Horizon Zero Dawn - freeze rime root part 1: sketching the real and the unreal

Hello lovely people, we’re on to plant no. 2 in my Horizon Zero Dawn (HZD) video game botany collaboration with Dr Maria Christodoulou… Freeze rime root, which we’ll describe from the perspective of a Carja archivist.

For anyone who missed it, our first HZD plant was medicinal valley’s blush and you can see all the artwork and find links to our research on it here.

OK. Onwards to freeze-rime...

Freeze rime root & Colorado blue columbine

This plant is one of HZD’s most recognisable as closely resembling a present-day species. The game is set in Colorado, and freeze rime root is a dead ringer for Aquilegia caerulea, aka Colorado blue columbine or rocky mountain columbine.

Blue columbine by Rob Duval - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29940845

Our fictional plant is common in all habitats and is used to craft freeze resist potions. Which means Maria and I can mess about making up fun/fiendish plant properties here - because it doesn’t need to be safe to eat! Potions could be used in multiple ways e.g. applied externally to skin or painted onto armor (not that Maria holds back on the edible plants… She did make medicinal valley’s blush laxative in high quantities after all.)

With my pharmacologist hat on, real columbines contain a variety of interesting compounds such as lactones, saponins, flavinoids, and various fatty acid-derivatives. Some of these have medicinal properties that could be relevant for our imaginary plant, e.g. effects on skin. Others have effects on insects that we could extrapolate to being useful for freeze rime root survival. So there’s some ready-made biochemistry we can play with.

With my artist hat on, these plants also have very distinctive flower and leaf shapes that I’m curious to try drawing in the style of a Carja archivist - especially given the stylised motifs we see in Carja architecture and fabrics in the city of Meridian. All of the win then? We shall see...

Aquilegia caerulea specimen from Colorado College Carter Herbarium (COCO), catalogue number COCO-V-0010526 via SEINet

Where do I start?

My first job art-wise is to work out how Aquilegia caerulea is built. I live in the UK so it’s no surprise that I haven’t seen A. caerulea in the wild. Thankfully the internet exists, and online herbarium resources from around the world are available. The specimen image above is one of many I can access.

We also have wild columbine species in the UK I can look at, and some grow among the many ‘weeds’ I cultivate in my back yard - common columbine or granny’s bonnet, A. vulgaris, and probably dark columbine, A. atrata, to be specific. I say ‘probably’ there because they’re not readily distinguishable from each other, but what matters is that they give me a better idea of leaf/flower/seed head structure for this genus of plants.

Leaves of a wild columbine growing in my back yard

 WTF, buttercup??

That’s basically the first comment in my notes about this plant. When Maria told me columbines are in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), I said ‘what the fuck – it’s a BUTTERCUP?!??’ Maria had to botany-splain leaf patterns to convince me, but actually you can see the resemblance when you look at buttercup vs. columbine leaf structure. (I’m still renaming columbines to ‘what-the-fuck buttercup’ in my notes though, heh.) Columbine leaves are subdivided into lobed leaflets.

The flowers have lots of fluffy stamens, 5 tube-like petals with a long spur ending in a nectar reservoir (accessible only to pollinators with long tongues), and 5 petal-like sepals. The seed heads have several sections containing small black seeds.

One of my first sketchbook pages on freeze rime root - I can’t believe it’s a buttercup. (Aquilegia vulgare is a common misspelling, btw. I’m common, what can I tell you.)

Leaf details

The particular what-the-fuck buttercup species we’re looking at have biternate/2-ternate leaves. In ternate leaves, the leaf stem divides into 3 so that the leaf is made of 3 leaflets. In a biternate leaf, each of those leaflets is further divided into 3. Below are some illustrations of that, and there’s also a nice look at Aquilegia biternate and triternate leaf shapes here

One of my notes on ternate leaves. Try not to think about my spelling.

Ternate pressed meadow buttercup leaves –diagram of a biternate leaf – a single biternate Aquilegia vulgaris leaf in my back yard. (Biternate compound leaf diagram by Wasp32 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49634190)

There are differences between leaves on my local columbine A. vulgaris and Colorado’s A. caerulea, visible even to a non-botanist like me. The leaflets are more deeply grooved, and (at least in the herbarium specimen images I’ve looked at) seem narrower and less rounded. I’ll leave it to Maria to torment/inform me more on the proper technical description for that though.

Aquilegia caerulea specimen showing leaf structure with deeply grooved leaflets, from the Rocky Mountain Herbarium (RM), catalogue number 905181 via SEINet

Flower details

The flower petal spurs on A. caerulea are long and straight, unlike the curly spurs on A. vulgaris. This is apparently a product/driver of the plant’s relationship with pollinators. A. vulgaris is pollinated by long-tongued bees, and A. caerulea has a HAWKMOTH POLLINATOR aaaaay you knew I’d get moths in here somewhere, right? I doubt Maria will let me sneak in another imaginary moth just yet, but just so you know; A. caerulea loves moths.

Another sketchbook page on how Colorado blue columbine and Freeze rime root compare to each other

 Enough of the real plant, what about Freeze rime root?

Aloy enjoying some quality botanising time

There are some noticeable differences between our fictional flowering plant and the present-day analogue, and you can see some below – the flowers are deeper purple, the petal spur tips are remarkably pointy, and the stamens look like cartoon hair that has just been electrocuted. The leaves are also quite rounded, more akin to my familiar local columbine.

How would we describe that and why might that be? Maria’s next post will fill you in on that, so stay tuned for a link which I’ll post here. She’ll be explaining how she looks at freeze rime root to write a formal scientific description, the next step before finding her inner Carja archivist voice.

Freeze rime root in the field

[florianatopfblume]

100 wunderbare Wiesenkräuter, Wildblumen und Gräser die einzelne Trittsteine im Verbund mit anderen „Wilden Oasen“ als Überlebensbrücken zu bilden ermöglichen, können in Deinem Garten oder Blühstreifen, der für das Überleben von Tieren und Pflanzen in dieser Biodiversität, (Bio-Vielfalt) sorgt, auch mit viel Geduld wirksam entstehen.

Möglichst dann auch von Heckenschutz, Feuchtbiotopen und Baumbeständen begleitet in bester „Schutz- und Nutz-Gesellschaft“, die für Flora und Fauna in einem lebhaften Naturkreislauf sehr geeignet sind.

Unten in der Aufzählung ein paar Tipps, die ich im Internet von Manfred Vogt mit seinem OK zur Veröffentlichung für Euch „eingesammelt“ habe. ;)

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—> Wer Sämereien davon sammelt und abgibt, bitte melden!

—> Wer Fläche für Wildwiesen zur Verfügung stellen möchte (auch die Gemeinde ist angesprochen!) und diese mit anderen Menschen aufbauen, schützen und erhalten möchte, bitte auch melden!

-

Hier nun die versprochenen 100 Wiesenkräuter, Wildblumen und Gräser:

Kreuzenzian

Helmknabenkraut

Teufelsabbiss

Kugelblume

Ästige Graslilie

Astlose Graslilie

Bergaster Aster amellus

Bergsandglöckchen

Orangerotes Habichtskraut

Wiesenflockenblume

Knöllchensteinbrech

Schwarze Teufelskralle - Phyteuma nigrum

Salomonsiegel

Acker-Stiefmütterchen - Viola arvensis

Fingerhut

Nickende Distel

Schwarze Königskerze - Verbascum nigrum

Rotes Waldvögelein - Cephalanthera rubra

Rotbraune Stendelwurz - Epipactis atrorubens

Schuppenwurz - Lathraea squamaria

Gewöhnliche Pechnelke - Lychnis viscaria

Gewöhnlicher Dolden-Milchstern - Ornithogalum umbellatum agg

Großer Ehrenpreis - Veronica teucrium

Kleiner Klappertopf - Rhinanthus minor

Zottiger Klappertopf - Rhinanthus alectorolophus

Wiesen-Salbei - Salvia pratensis

Rundblättriger Sonnentau - Drosera rotundifolia

Mittlerer Sonnentau - Drosera intermedia

Acker Wachtelweizen - Melampyrum arvense

Echtes Johanniskraut - Hypericum perforatum

Rote Lichtnelke - Silene dioica

Echtes Mädesüß - Filipendula ulmaria

Bach-Nelkenwurz - Geum rivale

Wiesen-Glockenblume - Campanula patula

Oregano - Origanum vulgare

Echter Arznei-Baldrian - Valeriana officinalis

Pracht-Nelke - Dianthus superbus

Wiesen Storchschnabel - Geranium pratense

Blutroter Storchschnabel - Geranium sanguineum

Österreichischer Lein - Linum austriacum

Schattenblümchen - Maianthemum bifolium

Zweiblättriger Blaustern - Scilla bifolia

Schwarzviolette Akelei - Aquilegia atrata

Kleiner Gelbstern - Gagea

minima

Wasserdost - Eupatorium cannabinum

Purpur-Fetthenne - Sedum telephium

Echtes Leinkraut (Linaria vulgaris)

Gewöhnlicher Natternkopf - Echium vulgare

Zweiblatt Ackerlauch - Allium ampeloprasum

Echte Schlüsselblume - Primula veris

Weinbergs-Lauch - Allium vineale

Hohe Schlüsselblume - Primula elatior

Bärlauch - Allium ursinum

Echtes Tausendgüldenkraut - Centaurium erythraea

Schmalblättriges Wollgras - Eriophorum angustifolium

Gewöhnliches Alpenglöckchen - Soldanella alpina

Schwanenblume - Butomus umbellatus

Schlankes Wollgras - Eriophorum gracile

Alpen-Aurikel - Primula auricula

Mehlprimel - Primula farinosa

Feuer-Lilie - Lilium bulbiferum

Wald-Engelwurz - Angelica sylvestris

Wundklee - Anthyllis vulneraria

Große Sterndolde - Astrantia major

Wiesensilge - Silaum silaus

Wald-Sanikel - Sanicula europaea

Bayerische Sterndolde - Astrantia bavarica

Dill - Anethum graveolens

Gewöhnliche Wiesen-Schafgarbe - Achillea millefolium

Fettwiesen-

Margerite - Chrysanthemum

ircutianum

Acker-Kratzdistel - Cirsium arvense

Kohl-Kratzdistel - Cirsium oleraceum

Großer Wiesenknopf - Sanguisorba officinalis

Wiesen-Bocksbart - Tragopogon pratensis

Wilde Karde - Dipsacus fullonum

Gewöhnliche Pestwurz - Petasites hybridus

Kleiner Wiesenknopf - Sanguisorba minor

Hasen-Klee - Trifolium arvense

Kornblume - Centaurea cyanus

Gemeine Wegwarte - Cichorium intybus

Gewöhnliche Kratzdistel - Cirsium vulgare

Wiesen-Witwenblume - Knautia arvensis

Tauben-Skabiose - Scabiosa columbaria

Huflattich - Tussilago farfara

Kugelköpfiger Lauch - Allium sphaerocephalon

Arnika - Arnica montana

Silberdistel - Carlina acaulis

Stengellose Kratzdistel - Cirsium acaule

Großblütige Gemswurz - Doronicum grandiflorum

Drüsenblättrige Kugeldistel - Echinops sphaerocephalus

Feld-Mannstreu - Eryngium campestre

Kugelige Teufelskralle - Phyteuma orbiculare

Jakobs-Greiskraut - Senecio jacobaea

Färberkamille - Anthemis tinctoria

Gold-Aster - Aster linosyris

Golddistel - Carlina vulgaris

Schlanke Karde - Dipsacus strigosus

Flachblättriger Mannstreu - Eryngium planum

Sand-Strohblume - Helichrysum arenarium

Rauhhaariger Alant - Inula hirta

Gewöhnliche Sumpf-Schafgarbe - Achillea ptarmica

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—> Bin selbst an Sämereien oder Ablegern interessiert, oder als Samen der übrig ist für eine erste Tauschkisten Füllung.

—> Tauschkiste als solche habe ich erst einmal in Klein aus Holz schon.

—> Daher bitte einfach melden, wer beim Sämereien Sammeln/Tauschen mitmachen möchte; auch wenn wir nur gemeinsam erst einmal suchen, ernten, trocknen, sammeln, Saat auswerfen. Es ist ein guter Anfang.

Beispiele:

https://bluehende-landschaft.de/handlungsempfehlung/saatgut-vorschlaege/

https://wildwiesen.de/weiterfuehrende-informationen/

https://bluehstreifen-beelitz.de/tag/wildwiesen-anlegen/

©️®️CWG, 22.09.2021♈️🐏🌳

Bild: Rechte und Lizenzen frei über Pixabay.

[trex1994-blog]

Aquilegia scura (Aquilegia atrata) . . . . . #aquilegia #aquilegiaatrata #flower #flowers #nature #italy #colors #love #instago #instamood #instagood #bestoftheday #picoftheday #photooftheday #tbt #follow #followme #hot #wildlife #life #wild #igersitalia #igers #pic #beautiful #art #follow4follow #igersfrosinone #viviciociaria

[artscult-com]

aquilegia vulgaris atrata - high resolution image from old book.

[francescointoppa]

Album del Novecento. 50. Aquilegia scura (Aquilegia atrata W.D.J. Koch, Ranunculaceae)

[francescointoppa]

Album del Novecento. 74. Aquilegia scura (Aquilegia atrata W.D.J. Koch, Ranunculaceae)