Aquilegia chrysantha A. Gray var. chrysantha
Golden columbine
Columbines are members of the buttercup family. There are several yellow varieties that are native to a few southwestern states and northwestern Mexico. Many cultivated varieties are available.
Plants: These perennials are 1–4′ (40–120 cm) in height.
Leaves: Fernlike leaves have three leaflets and three lobes. They are smooth and hairless.
Flowers: The spurs on the back of each flower are unique in shape, and up to 2½″ (6.7 cm) long. Flowers are about 2–3″ (5–7.6 cm) in length and plants are 2–3′ (60–91 cm) in height. Each flower has five pointed sepals and five petals. They may be bright or pale yellow.
Fruits: Five pod-shaped follicles with long beaks split open along one side to release shiny black seeds.
Habitats: They prefer moist areas and medium sunlight, and are commonly found in canyons, like this one in the Sedona area of Arizona.
Oak Creek Trail, AZ
Other subspecies:
Aquilegia chrysantha var. chaplinei has long spurs like longspur columbines, but it is rare, found only in some remote canyons in New Mexico.
Aquilegia chrysantha var. hinckleyana looks most like A. chrysantha var. chrysantha, but is somewhat paler in color, and is found only in Texas.
Aquilegia chrysantha var. rydbergii has somewhat shorter spurs, and is found in New Mexico and Texas.
Aquilegia flavescens lacks the prominent spurs, and the flowers tip downward.
Aquilegia longissima have very long spurs.
It is common to see intermediate coloration as a result of natural hybridization, like this from Zion National Park:
Edibility: Poisonous. 
I found conflicting information about edibility of
columbines. The seeds and roots are highly poisonous, and the leaves of many other members of the buttercup
family are poisonous. But one source says flowers of Aquilegia flavescens are sweet-tasting and edible, and can be added to salads. Another source also says
the flowers are safe in small quantities. Better to be safe than sorry though—I’m not putting them on my salad.
Online References:
References:
6/2/2009 · Zion National Park, Utah 
6/2/2009 · Zion National Park, Utah 
5/23/2009 · West Fork of Oak Creek Trail, Arizona · ≈ 2 × 2′ (71 × 67 cm) 
5/23/2009 · West Fork of Oak Creek Trail, Arizona · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm) 
6/2/2009 · Zion National Park, Utah · ≈ 3 × 2′ (98 × 65 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others |
| Order | Ranunculales | Basal (evolved earlier) eudicots, also called “true dicots” |
| Family | Ranunculaceae | Buttercup family |
| Genus | Aquilegia | From Latin aquila, or “eagle,” for the flower’s resemblence to an eagle’s claw |
| Species | chrysantha | “Marigold,” a reference to the yellow flowers |
| var. | chrysantha | “Marigold,” a reference to the yellow flowers |
Aquilegia chrysantha var. chrysantha description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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