Barbaricina Columbine - Meet The Endangered
Barbaricina Columbine (Aquilegia barbaricina)
Can a flower be too beautiful?
The Barbaricina Columbine has always been a rare plant, as it is endemic only to a small patch of high-elevation scrubland on the Italian island of Sardinia. It is a chasmophyte, meaning it lives in the rocky crevices of limestone cliffs or caves, which protect it from the heat of the sun.
Over the years, habitat degradation, grazing and climate change have reduced its numbers to under 300 plants. The largest threat to its survival now is the predation of flower collectors, who prize the Barbaricina Columbine for its rarity and ethereal beauty.
IUCN: Critically Endangered (CR)
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