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Barbey larkspur, Barbey's larkspur, subalpine larkspur, tall larkspur

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

Stems

50-150 cm;

base green, glabrous.

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

base reddish, not longitudinally ridged, variably puberulent.

Leaves

blade round to reniform, 4-8 × 7-15 cm, glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-9, width 8-50 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

10-50-flowered;

pedicel 0.5-6 cm, glandular-puberulent;

bracteoles 1-4(-8) mm from flowers, blue to green, awl-shaped, 5-14 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 bluish purple, sparsely puberulent, lateral sepals forward pointing, 13-23 × 5-8 mm, spurs ascending ca. 45°, downcurved apically, 10-18 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 4-7 mm, clefts 2-3 mm;

hairs centered, mostly near base of cleft, sparse elsewhere, white or yellow.

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

17-22 mm, 2.5-3 times longer than wide, puberulent.

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

Seeds

wing-margined;

seed coat cells narrow but short, surfaces pustulate.

not echinate, ± smooth to naked eye;

seed coat cells with margins ± undulate, surfaces smooth.

2n

= 16.

Delphinium barbeyi

Delphinium hutchinsoniae

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering spring.
Habitat Subalpine and alpine sites in wet soils Coastal chaparral, clearings in coniferous woods
Elevation 2500-4100 m (8200-13500 ft) 0-400 m (0-1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Delphinium barbeyi hybridizes extensively with D. glaucum in western Colorado and eastern Utah, where plants appearing to be hybrid [D. ×occidentale (S. Watson) S. Watson] are often far more common than plants of either putative parent. Several other names have been used for these plants, including D. elatum var. occidentale S. Watson, D. abietorum Tidestrom, and D. scopulorum subsp. occidentale (S. Watson) Abrams. Delphinium barbeyi is also known to hybridize with D. ramosum and D. sapellonis.

(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. Exaltata Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Echinata
Sibling taxa
D. alabamicum, D. alpestre, D. andersonii, D. andesicola, D. antoninum, D. bakeri, 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. exaltatum var. (e) barbeyi, D. occidentale var. barbeyi
Name authority (Huth) Huth: Bull. Herb. Boissier 1: 335. (1893) Ewan: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 78: 379. (1951)
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