Perennial of the Ranunculaceae family, Chapline's columbine is a rare and little-known species, endemic to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in moist canyons, stream banks, and shaded rocky areas of New Mexico, western Texas, and Chihuahua, generally between 1,500 and 2,500 meters in altitude. It particularly favors riparian habitats, where moisture persists despite an overall arid climate.
Its habit is slender and airy, reaching 50 to 80 cm in height, with finely divided biternate foliage, of a medium to glaucous green. The flowers, borne on slender branched stems, present a characteristic color combination associating yellow to creamy white sepals and white to pale yellow petals, extended by long straight and thin spurs, pale yellow to whitish, reaching 5 to 7 cm. This long-spurred morphology reveals an adaptation to pollination by long-tongued hawkmoths, typical of columbines from the arid regions of the southwestern United States.
Less cultivated than other species of the genus, it nevertheless represents an interesting botanical subject for collectors of rare plants and North American-themed gardens, provided it is given perfect drainage, some summer freshness, and protection against excessive winter moisture.