Burke: Delphinium xantholeucum vs. Delphinium glaucum

	Delphinium xantholeucum	Delphinium glaucum
	yellow-white larkspur	pale larkspur
Habit	Rather stout perennial from a thick, branching, fibrous root, the single stem 3-8 dm. tall, glabrous below but glandular at least in the inflorescence.	Stout, glabrous and glaucous perennial from thick rhizomes, the several simple, hollow stems 10-20 dm. tall.
Leaves	Leaves few, glabrous and glaucous, mostly on the lower 1/5 of the stem; leaf blades 2-7 cm. broad, 3-4 times dissected, the ultimate segments linear, 1-2 mm. broad.	Leaves numerous, gradually reduced upward, all divided over half their length into five broad, wedge-shaped segments, these sharply 2-3 times toothed; the blades of the lower leaves may be 15-20 cm. broad.
Flowers	Inflorescence compound, the main raceme as long as the rest of the stem, loosely many-flowered; pedicels elongate, spreading; sepals 5, creamy-white to greenish-white, green-tipped, the lateral pair oblong, about 10 mm. long; spur 12-15 mm. long; petals 4, small, creamy-yellow; stamens numerous; pistils 3.	Inflorescence a simple or compound raceme, rather elongate and loosely many-flowered; sepals 5, deep blue-purple, oblong-elliptic, 6-12 mm. long, the spur straight, shorter than the blade of the upper sepal; petals 4, small, pale blue; stamens numerous; pistils 3.
Fruits	Follicles 15-22 mm. long, erect, glabrous to glandular-pubescent.	Follicles erect, 10-14 mm. long, glabrous.

	Delphinium xantholeucum	Delphinium glaucum
Flowering time	April-June	July-September
Habitat	Dry, grassy hillsides and ponderosa pine forests.	Meadows and wet thickets, bogs, streambanks, and coniferous forest openings at middle elevations in the mountains.
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington, where endemic to Okanogan, Chelan, and Douglas counties. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains and the Canadian Great Plains. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	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. viridescens	D. ajacis, D. basalticum, D. ×burkei, D. depauperatum, D. distichum, D. glareosum, D. leucophaeum, D. lineapetalum, D. menziesii, D. multiplex, D. nuttallianum, D. nuttallii, D. occidentale, D. stachydeum, D. sutherlandii, D. trolliifolium, D. viridescens, D. xantholeucum
Web links	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	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Delphinium glaucum

yellow-white larkspur

pale larkspur

Habit

Rather stout perennial from a thick, branching, fibrous root, the single stem 3-8 dm. tall, glabrous below but glandular at least in the inflorescence.

Stout, glabrous and glaucous perennial from thick rhizomes, the several simple, hollow stems 10-20 dm. tall.

Leaves

Leaves few, glabrous and glaucous, mostly on the lower 1/5 of the stem;

leaf blades 2-7 cm. broad, 3-4 times dissected, the ultimate segments linear, 1-2 mm. broad.

Leaves numerous, gradually reduced upward, all divided over half their length into five broad, wedge-shaped segments, these sharply 2-3 times toothed; the blades of the lower leaves may be 15-20 cm. broad.

Flowers

Inflorescence compound, the main raceme as long as the rest of the stem, loosely many-flowered;

pedicels elongate, spreading;

sepals 5, creamy-white to greenish-white, green-tipped, the lateral pair oblong, about 10 mm. long;

spur 12-15 mm. long;

petals 4, small, creamy-yellow;

stamens numerous;

pistils 3.

Inflorescence a simple or compound raceme, rather elongate and loosely many-flowered;

sepals 5, deep blue-purple, oblong-elliptic, 6-12 mm. long, the spur straight, shorter than the blade of the upper sepal;

petals 4, small, pale blue;

stamens numerous;