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Common columbine or garden columbine, Aquilegia vulgaris is a herbaceous perennial of the Ranunculaceae family, native to the meadows, edges, and light woods of temperate Europe, from the plains to the montane level. It adapts to various soils, preferably fresh, well-drained, and moderately calcareous, and tolerates both partially shaded and sunny exposures.
The plant reaches 40 to 80 cm in height, bearing biternate leaves of a characteristic glaucous green, often pruinose. Its flowers, drooping and of a deep blue-violet in the typical form, feature five nectariferous spurs curved like a crook, adapted to pollination by long-tongued bumblebees. The flowering extends from May to July.
Used since the Middle Ages in European pharmacopoeia, notably against skin conditions and febrile states, it is now recognized as toxic and its internal use has been abandoned. However, it remains an ornamental plant cultivated for centuries, giving rise to many cultivars with varied colors.