UW Burke Herbarium species comparison

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Delphinium xantholeucum

Delphinium nuttallii

yellow-white larkspur

Nuttall's 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. Crisp-puberulent, eglandular perennial from small, globose, fleshy roots, the single stems 3-6 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 long-petiolate, evenly distributed, the blades up to 10 cm. broad, 3-4 times dissected into narrowly lanceolate or linear segments.
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 to compound, the racemes spike-like above, the lower pedicels exceeding the numerous, crowded flowers;

sepals 5, deep bluish-purple, 7-12 mm. long, slightly spreading, with a conspicuous median, pubescent, greenish band;

spur equal to the sepals;

petals 4, small, the lower pair deep purplish-blue, shallowly cleft, the upper pair light blue;

stamens numerous;

pistils 3.
Fruits

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

Follicles about 15 mm. long, slightly bent.

Delphinium xantholeucum

Delphinium nuttallii
Flowering time April-June May-June
Habitat Dry, grassy hillsides and ponderosa pine forests. Gravelly outwash prairies and basaltic cliffs.
Distribution
Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington, where endemic to Okanogan, Chelan, and Douglas counties.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring west of the Cascades crest and east in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; Washington to Willamette Valley, Oregon.
[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. multiplex, D. nuttallianum, D. occidentale, D. stachydeum, D. sutherlandii, D. trolliifolium, D. viridescens, D. xantholeucum
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Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the University of Washington's Burke Herbarium.



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