Red columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
Gitxsan name: ihlee'em ts'ak (bleeding nose)
Wet'suwet'en name: lesokh
Botanical Description
- perennial herb, up to 1 metre tall with basal leaves and red and yellow flowers drooping
from the stems
- found in moist areas, partly shaded roadsides, rocky slopes, meadows, forest glades,
subalpine meadows and clearings
- lowlands to timberline
Photo courtesy of Frank Boas (47kB)
Ethnobotanical Use
The red columbine stores a sweet nectar in the knobs on the back of the flower.
The knobs of the flower spurs and the nectar within were eaten like candy.
This digital collection was produced under contract to the SchoolNet
Digital Collection Program, Industry Canada.
Revised: 08/21/98
