Burke: Delphinium xantholeucum vs. Delphinium multiplex

	Delphinium xantholeucum	Delphinium multiplex
	yellow-white larkspur	Kittitas 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.	Rather stout perennial from thick, fibrous roots, the several stems simple, erect, hollow, 5-10 dm. tall, glandular-pubescent at least above.
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.	Basal and lower cauline leaves thick and fleshy, long-petiolate, 5-12 cm. broad, 2-3 times lobed into oblong, rounded, entire segments; mid- and upper cauline leaves sub-sessile, crowded, more narrowly lobed and acutely segmented.
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 simple or compound, with yellowish, glandular hairs, the racemes elongate and spike-like; sepals 5, purplish-blue with a greenish-white mid-stripe, 9-11 mm. long, oblong-elliptic, spread with the tips cupped forward, the spur much longer than the blade of the upper sepal; petals 4, pale to dark blue; stamens numerous; pistils 3.
Fruits	Follicles 15-22 mm. long, erect, glabrous to glandular-pubescent.	Follicles 8-13 mm. long, glandular-pubescent.

	Delphinium xantholeucum	Delphinium multiplex
Flowering time	April-June	May-August
Habitat	Dry, grassy hillsides and ponderosa pine forests.	Along rocky, usually intermitant streams or springs in sagebrush hills to moderate 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 east of the Cascades crest in Washington, where endemic to Chelan, Kittitas, and Yakima counties in Washington. [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. glaucum, D. leucophaeum, D. lineapetalum, D. menziesii, 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: WA Local Web sites: 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 multiplex

yellow-white larkspur

Kittitas 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.

Rather stout perennial from thick, fibrous roots, the several stems simple, erect, hollow, 5-10 dm. tall, glandular-pubescent at least above.

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.

Basal and lower cauline leaves thick and fleshy, long-petiolate, 5-12 cm. broad, 2-3 times lobed into oblong, rounded, entire segments; mid- and upper cauline leaves sub-sessile, crowded, more narrowly lobed and acutely segmented.

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 simple or compound, with yellowish, glandular hairs, the racemes elongate and spike-like;

sepals 5, purplish-blue with a greenish-white mid-stripe, 9-11 mm. long, oblong-elliptic, spread with the tips cupped forward, the spur much longer than the blade of the upper sepal;

petals 4, pale to dark blue;

stamens numerous;

pistils 3.

Fruits

Follicles 15-22 mm. long, erect, glabrous to glandular-pubescent.

Follicles 8-13 mm. long, glandular-pubescent.