Aquilegia are clump-forming herbaceous perennials with long-stalked, ternately divided basal leaves and erect, leafy stems bearing bell-shaped flowers with spreading, coloured sepals and petals with spurs, on branched stems
A. canadensis is a slender herbaceous perennial to 60cm, with divided, dark green basal leaves and erect stems bearing nodding flowers 3-5cm long, with pale yellow petals and erect, scarlet sepals with straight spurs