Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium andersonii

Delphinium scopulorum

Anderson larkspur, Anderson's larkspur, desert larkspur

Rocky Mountain larkspur
Stems

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

base reddish, glabrous.

50-120 cm;

base often reddish, puberulent, midstems glabrous to subglabrous.
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, 1.5-10 × 2-16 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-19, width 5-30 mm (basal), 1-10 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.

10-30-flowered, open, cylindric;

pedicel ascending to spreading, 1-3(-4.5) cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 2-7 mm from flowers, green, linear, 2-4 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 bright dark blue, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals forward pointing, 12-15 × 4-6 mm, spurs gently decurved, slightly ascending, 15-20 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 5-8 mm, clefts 1-3 mm;

hairs sparse, centered, mostly below junction of blade and claw, white.
Fruits

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

16-20 mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, nearly glabrous.
Seeds

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

wing-margined;

seed coat cells with margins straight, cell surfaces ± roughened.
2n

= 16.

= 16.

Delphinium andersonii

Delphinium scopulorum
Phenology Flowering late spring–early summer. Flowering late summer–early autumn.
Habitat Talus, cold desert scrub, often growing up through shrubs, low places where snow collects Riparian forests and open woodlands
Elevation 1300-2000 m (4300-6600 ft) 1700-2600 m (5600-8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Sonora)
[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.)

Hybrids are known with Delphinium andesicola.

(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. Wislizenana
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. 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. 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 D. macrophyllum
Name authority A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 53. (1887) A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 9. (1853)
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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