The long leaves are twice divided with the three terminal leaflets further divided into rounded lobes. Flowers are of the typical interesting columbine type. The five sepals are petal-like and form the star pattern. THe petals are modified into spurs or elongate pouches which sweep backward form the sepals. THe mouth of each petal is yellow.
Sereral stigmas sit atop several styles which prode through the mass of stamens.
The structure of the flowers is particularly interesting for it has evolved to facilitate pollination by hummingbirds. First of all the blooms are oriented slightly downward, to allow the bird to hover beneath the bloom and poke its beak into the flower. The long spurs act to colletc the nectar, forcng the hummingbird to reach well past the stamens anad stigma which protrude in way to brush polen onto the visiting bird. Once the bird leaves one flower and visits the next pollen brushed onto the bird is left behind on the stigma of the new bloom. Red columbine is one of those species that occurs, and can be grown throughout British Columbia.