Aquilegia (genus, "Seiyodamaki")

Japanese name: セイヨウオダマキ （西洋苧環）
Scientific name: Aquilegia

[Overview]
What is generally sold as Seiyo-odamaki is a hybrid of the European wild species Seiyo-odamaki (Aquilegia valgaris) and several species from North America.
A perennial 20–90 cm tall, depending on the variety.
It has a rhizome.
There are two kinds of leaves, basal leaves and stem leaves, both of which are 1–3 times ternately compound.
The basal leaves have petioles.
The leaves on the stem are alternate.
The leaves are tinged with a powdery white.
A raceme at the tip of the stem bears many flowers.
The flowers have a distinctive shape: five petal-like sepals spread open, and the petals gather in a tube at the center.
The lower half of each petal forms a slender sac-like spur that extends long behind the flower from between the sepals.
There are also double-flowered varieties.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by division.
For division, separate by hand at the points where the rhizome has divided naturally.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained place.
Direct sunlight in midsummer can weaken it, so in summer move potted plants to airy, bright shade, and plant those in the ground where deciduous trees will shade them.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless sunny weather continues and the soil becomes severely dry.
If fertilizer is applied at planting, little more is needed, but potted plants may be given liquid fertilizer once every 2 weeks while in bloom.
Pests and diseases include soft rot, powdery mildew, aphids, spider mites, cutworms and slugs.

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