City of N.Van. This perennial herb grows from a taproot and is found in a variety of moist, open to partly shaded sites, from beaches to mountain meadows. Its nodding red and yellow flowers with their 5 nectar-producing tubes are very attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. The red columbine can be found throughout the City Hall landscape, this photo was taken in the landscaped area over the loading bay.
Columbines are great garden plants and are easy to grow from seed.
Haida children were warned not to pick the flowers or it would rain. The Quileute scraped columbine roots with a sharp rock and smeared the milky pulp on sores to help form a scar. The leaves were also chewed and spat on sores. Aboriginals in other parts of North America used various parts in medicinal preparations for diarrhea, dizziness, aching joints and possibly venereal disease. Plants of Coastal British Columbia .