Burke: Delphinium leucophaeum vs. Delphinium viridescens

	Delphinium leucophaeum	Delphinium viridescens
	pale larkspur	Wenatchee larkspur
Habit		Stout perennial from a short rhizome, the several hollow stems 8-12 dm. tall, glabrous below but with copious stalked, yellow glands above and throughout the inflorescence.
Leaves		Basal and lower cauline leaves long-petiolate, the blades up to 10 cm. broad, divided into 3 main wedge-shaped lobes, these once or twice cleft into oblong-rounded segments; mid-cauline leaves short-petiolate and overlapping, nearly erect, divided into narrow, acute segments, abruptly transitional to the lower leaves, but gradually transitional to the linear, entire, bract-like upper leaves.
Flowers		Inflorescence usually a simple, narrow raceme, the pedicels shorter than the flowers; sepals 5, purplish, but strongly streaked with yellow or greenish-yellow, oblanceolate, glandular, 7-11 mm. long; spur thick, straight, 7-10 mm. long; petals 4, yellowish or purple, the lower pair densely soft-hairy, equaling the sepals; stamens numerous; pistils 3.
Fruits		Follicles 6-8 mm. long, erect, densely glandular-pubescent.

	Delphinium leucophaeum	Delphinium viridescens
Flowering time	May-June	June-July
Habitat	Bluffs, open ground, and moist lowland meadows where undisturbed.	Boggy meadowlands.
Distribution	Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington, where known only from Lewis County in Washington; Lewis County, Washington to Willamette Valley, Oregon. [WildflowerSearch map]	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington, where endemic to the Wenatchee Mountains of Chelan and Kittitas counties. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Endangered in Washington (WANHP)	Threatened in Washington (WANHP)
Sibling taxa	D. ajacis, D. basalticum, D. ×burkei, D. depauperatum, D. distichum, D. glareosum, D. glaucum, D. lineapetalum, D. menziesii, D. multiplex, D. nuttallianum, D. nuttallii, D. occidentale, D. stachydeum, D. sutherlandii, D. trolliifolium, D. viridescens, D. xantholeucum	D. ajacis, D. basalticum, D. ×burkei, D. depauperatum, D. distichum, D. glareosum, D. glaucum, D. leucophaeum, D. lineapetalum, D. menziesii, D. multiplex, D. nuttallianum, D. nuttallii, D. occidentale, D. stachydeum, D. sutherlandii, D. trolliifolium, D. xantholeucum
Web links	Local floras: OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Delphinium viridescens

pale larkspur

Wenatchee larkspur

Habit

Stout perennial from a short rhizome, the several hollow stems 8-12 dm. tall, glabrous below but with copious stalked, yellow glands above and throughout the inflorescence.

Leaves

Basal and lower cauline leaves long-petiolate, the blades up to 10 cm. broad, divided into 3 main wedge-shaped lobes, these once or twice cleft into oblong-rounded segments; mid-cauline leaves short-petiolate and overlapping, nearly erect, divided into narrow, acute segments, abruptly transitional to the lower leaves, but gradually transitional to the linear, entire, bract-like upper leaves.

Flowers

Inflorescence usually a simple, narrow raceme, the pedicels shorter than the flowers;

sepals 5, purplish, but strongly streaked with yellow or greenish-yellow, oblanceolate, glandular, 7-11 mm. long;

spur thick, straight, 7-10 mm. long;

petals 4, yellowish or purple, the lower pair densely soft-hairy, equaling the sepals;

stamens numerous;

pistils 3.

Fruits

Follicles 6-8 mm. long, erect, densely glandular-pubescent.

Delphinium leucophaeum

Delphinium viridescens

Flowering time

May-June

June-July

Habitat

Bluffs, open ground, and moist lowland meadows where undisturbed.

Boggy meadowlands.

Distribution

Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington, where known only from Lewis County in Washington; Lewis County, Washington to Willamette Valley, Oregon.

[WildflowerSearch map]