Irregular Petals C

Flowers With Irregular Petals or Spurred Petals

Part C

Irregular flowers are those in which the petals are not the same shape or size. A spur is a hollow projection of a petal or sepal.

Common name, genus and species, and family are given for each flower. These flowers once were in Ranunculaceae, but those with seeds in follicles or berries (rather than achenes) were placed in Helleboraceae. Some references still list them in Ranunculaceae.

Helleboraceae

Hellebore Family

Colorado Columbine has 5 petals elongated backwards to form a spur. These alternate with 5 showy sepals. Long-tongued insects and hummingbirds seek the nectar in the spurs. Colorado Columbine is the state flower of Colorado. It grows in aspen groves, open forests and meadows in the foothills to the alpine zone.
Monkshood has 5 showy sepals. The upper sepal is hooded, giving the flower its name. Three of the petals are tiny and two of the petals are hidden in the hood. The flowers of Monkshood are widely spaced. It is found in wet meadows and forested areas of the montane and subalpine zones.

Colorado Columbine

Aquilegia coerulea

Helleboraceae

Colorado Columbine

Aquilegia coerulea

Helleboraceae

Monkshead

Aconitum columbianum

Helleboraceae

Monkshead

Aconitum columbianum

Helleboraceae

Helleboraceae Continued

Hellebore Family (Larkspur)

Larkspurs have 5 showy sepals and 4 smaller petals. The upper sepal forms a spur. The 4 petals are often lighter in color than the sepals and are found at the center of the flower. It grows in large clumps or areas where there are wet meadows or bogs. It is found in the subalpine zone.
Subalpine Larkspur has a white variety, although it is not as common.

Subalpline Larkspur

Delphinium barbeyi

Helleboraceae

Subalpline Larkspur

Delphinium barbeyi

Helleboraceae

			Subalpline Larkspur (white variety) Delphinium barbeyi Helleboraceae
	Subalpline Larkspur (white variety) Delphinium barbeyi Helleboraceae