Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium andersonii

Delphinium hutchinsoniae

Anderson larkspur, Anderson's larkspur, desert larkspur

Hutchinson's delphinium, Hutchinson's larkspur, Monterey larkspur
Stems

(20-)30-60(-90) cm;

base reddish, glabrous.

(25-)50-80(-100) cm;

base reddish, not longitudinally ridged, variably puberulent.
Leaves

blade round, 1.5-4 × 2-6 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-30, width 2-8 mm (basal), 1-4 mm (cauline);

lobe width of proximal leaves less than 4 mm.

blade round to pentagonal, 1-6 × 1.5-10 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-17, width 4-16(-25) mm (basal), 1-8(-19) mm (cauline).
Inflorescences

10-25-flowered, cylindric;

pedicel sigmoid (proximally spreading, distally ascending), 1-4(-6.8) cm, glabrous to puberulent;

bracteoles 2-6(-8) mm from flowers, green, linear, 4-6(-11) mm, ± puberulent.

(2-)7-20(-31)-flowered, open;

pedicel 1-4(-6) cm, puberulent;

bracteoles (2-)8-12 mm from flowers, green, linear, 3-6(-9) mm, puberulent.
Flowers

sepals dark blue, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals spreading to reflexed, 9-16 × 3-7 mm, spurs horizontal to slightly ascending, often decurved apically, 12-18 mm;

lower petal blades elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-8 mm, clefts 1-4 mm;

hairs centered, mostly between claw and base of cleft, white.

sepals dark bluish purple, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, (12-)14-19(-24) × 7-12(-15) mm, spurs ascending, decurved apically, 11-19 mm;

lower petal blades slightly elevated, mostly covering stamens, 5-10 mm, cleft 2-3 mm;

hairs sparse, mostly on inner lobes, absent on margins, white.
Fruits

17-32 mm, 4-5.5 times longer than wide, glabrous.

9-21 mm, 2.5-4.2 times longer than wide, sparsely puberulent.
Seeds

seed coat cells ± brick-shaped, cell margins ± undulate, surfaces smooth.

not echinate, ± smooth to naked eye;

seed coat cells with margins ± undulate, surfaces smooth.
2n

= 16.

Delphinium andersonii

Delphinium hutchinsoniae
Phenology Flowering late spring–early summer. Flowering spring.
Habitat Talus, cold desert scrub, often growing up through shrubs, low places where snow collects Coastal chaparral, clearings in coniferous woods
Elevation 1300-2000 m (4300-6600 ft) 0-400 m (0-1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In much of its range Delphinium andersonii hybridizes occasionally with members of the D. nuttallianum complex and apparently with D. parishii in at least one site in California. These three taxa, with D. scaposum, form an interesting group in that they appear to be ecological replacements for one another, with D. parishii occupying arid, hot deserts to the south and southwest, D. andersonii growing in cooler, higher latitude and altitude deserts farther north, D. scaposum in cool deserts farther east, and D. nuttallianum at higher elevations in much of the geographic range of the other three species. Delphinium andersonii is often mistaken for D. nuttallianum. Most individuals of D. andersonii (roots much larger and more fibrous; stems solidly attached to roots; fruits long, narrow, erect; inflorescences usually longer and narrower at base; and pedicel sigmoid) can easily be distinguished from D. nuttallianum (roots smaller and not fibrous; stems tenuously attached to roots; fruits shorter, proportionally thicker, spreading; inflorescences relatively shorter and wider at base; and pedicel nearly straight).

Although roots of Delphinium andersonii are quite similar to those of D. antoninum, the two taxa may be readily distinguished by most features that separate D. nuttallianum from D. andersonii. The name Delphinium menziesii was misapplied to D. andersonii by S. Watson.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Of conservation concern.

Delphinium hutchinsoniae is known from only a few populations near Monterey and south to the Big Sur region. Hybrids have been produced between D. hutchinsoniae and D. cardinale grown in a common garden. Hybrids also occur with D. parryi subsp. maritimum.

Delphinium hutchinsoniae is similar, and probably closely related, to D. variegatum. The two may be distinguished by the decurved spur of D. hutchinsoniae; the spur of D. variegatum is normally straight (or decurved nearer apex). Delphinium hutchinsoniae lacks marginal hairs on lower petals; such hairs are present in D. variegatum. The two species are also geographically separated.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Subscaposa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Echinata
Sibling taxa
D. alabamicum, D. alpestre, D. andesicola, D. antoninum, D. bakeri, D. barbeyi, D. basalticum, D. bicolor, D. brachycentrum, D. californicum, D. cardinale, D. carolinianum, D. decorum, D. depauperatum, D. distichum, D. elatum, D. exaltatum, D. geraniifolium, D. geyeri, D. glareosum, D. glaucescens, D. glaucum, D. gracilentum, D. gypsophilum, D. hansenii, D. hesperium, D. hutchinsoniae, D. inopinum, D. lineapetalum, D. luteum, D. madrense, D. menziesii, D. multiplex, D. newtonianum, D. novomexicanum, D. nudicaule, D. nuttallianum, D. nuttallii, D. parishii, D. parryi, D. patens, D. polycladon, D. purpusii, D. ramosum, D. recurvatum, D. robustum, D. sapellonis, D. scaposum, D. scopulorum, D. stachydeum, D. sutherlandii, D. treleasei, D. tricorne, D. trolliifolium, D. uliginosum, D. umbraculorum, D. variegatum, D. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum
D. alabamicum, D. alpestre, D. andersonii, D. andesicola, D. antoninum, D. bakeri, D. barbeyi, D. basalticum, D. bicolor, D. brachycentrum, D. californicum, D. cardinale, D. carolinianum, D. decorum, D. depauperatum, D. distichum, D. elatum, D. exaltatum, D. geraniifolium, D. geyeri, D. glareosum, D. glaucescens, D. glaucum, D. gracilentum, D. gypsophilum, D. hansenii, D. hesperium, D. inopinum, D. lineapetalum, D. luteum, D. madrense, D. menziesii, D. multiplex, D. newtonianum, D. novomexicanum, D. nudicaule, D. nuttallianum, D. nuttallii, D. parishii, D. parryi, D. patens, D. polycladon, D. purpusii, D. ramosum, D. recurvatum, D. robustum, D. sapellonis, D. scaposum, D. scopulorum, D. stachydeum, D. sutherlandii, D. treleasei, D. tricorne, D. trolliifolium, D. uliginosum, D. umbraculorum, D. variegatum, D. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum
Synonyms D. andersonii subsp. cognatum
Name authority A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 53. (1887) Ewan: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 78: 379. (1951)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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