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Article: RHAPSODY IN BLOOM BLUE HUES OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLUMBINE THRIVE IN HIGH ALTITUDES.(Home Front)
- Article from:
- Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
- Article date:
- July 5, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Rocky Mountain News. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Dialog LLC by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Lynda Dirkse Special to the News
Given Colorado's Western image, it's fitting that the state flower has spurs.
Actually, the botanist who gave the Rocky Mountain columbine its botanic name back in 1820 thought the spurs looked like eagle's talons.
Thus, he named the flower Aquilegia (Latin for eagle) and caerulea (blue).
Edwin James, a botanist and physician who was part of a government expedition, discovered the flower near Palmer Lake.
The name columbine comes from the Latin word columbinus, which means dove and refers to the flower's resemblance to a cluster of five doves.
The Rocky Mountain columbine ...