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Delphinium viridescens

Wenatchee larkspur

Menzies 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. Glabrous to pubescent perennial from several small tubers, the single, simple or branched stem 1-5 dm. tall.
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.

Leaves mostly cauline, only the basal ones long-petiolate, the blades 3-7 cm. broad, 2-3 times dissected, the ultimate segments comparatively few, narrowly oblong.

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.

Inflorescence simple to compound, the racemes 3-20 flowered, open and loose, the pedicels from sub-equal to the flowers to several times as long;

sepals 5, deep blue, 12-18 mm. long, the spur 13-15 mm. long, much longer than the upper sepal;

petals 4, small, the lower pair blue, lightly veined and shallowly notched, the upper pair white or light blue;

stamens numerous;

pistils 3.

Fruits

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

Follicles 9-16 mm. long, erect to spreading, densely pubescent.

Delphinium viridescens

Delphinium menziesii

Flowering time June-July April-July
Habitat Boggy meadowlands. Coastal bluffs and prairies to moist meadows and forest openings at moderate elevations in the mountains.
Distribution
Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington, where endemic to the Wenatchee Mountains of Chelan and Kittitas counties.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Oregon.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Native Native
Conservation status Threatened in Washington (WANHP) Not of concern
Sibling taxa
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
D. ajacis, D. basalticum, D. ×burkei, D. depauperatum, D. distichum, D. glareosum, D. glaucum, D. leucophaeum, D. lineapetalum, D. multiplex, D. nuttallianum, D. nuttallii, D. occidentale, D. stachydeum, D. sutherlandii, D. trolliifolium, D. viridescens, D. xantholeucum
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