Perennial of the Ranunculaceae family, the alpine columbine is one of the most beautiful representatives of the genus in Europe. It is restricted to alpine and subalpine massifs, where it grows in rocky grasslands, screes, tall herb communities, and edges of coniferous forests, generally between 1,500 and 2,800 meters in altitude. It is found in the French, Swiss, Italian, and Austrian Alps, as well as in the northern Apennines.
Its habit is slender and graceful, reaching 30 to 60 cm in height, with biternate foliage of a glaucous green, divided into rounded and lobed segments, borne on long thin and branched stems. The foliage forms a dense and decorative basal rosette.
The flowers are large and spectacular, among the most imposing of the genus, with an intense blue to deep blue-violet, with characteristic short and curved spurs. They can reach 6 to 8 cm in diameter and bloom from June to August depending on altitude.
It requires cool, well-drained soil, rich in humus, slightly calcareous or siliceous, in a semi-shaded to sunny exposure. In cultivation, it appreciates a cool location, sheltered from excessive summer heat. It is a protected species in several Swiss cantons and French departments, not to be picked or uprooted in the wild.