FNA: Delphinium barbeyi vs. Delphinium inopinum

	Delphinium barbeyi	Delphinium inopinum
	Barbey larkspur, Barbey's larkspur, subalpine larkspur, tall larkspur	unexpected larkspur
Stems	50-150 cm; base green, glabrous.	70-110(-150) cm; base reddish or not, glabrous, often glaucous.
Leaves	blade round to reniform, 4-8 × 7-15 cm, glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-9, width 8-50 mm.	blade ± pentagonal, 1-5 × 1.5-7 cm, glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-9, width 5-28 mm (basal), 3-18 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.	20-35(-51)-flowered, usually dense; pedicel 0.3-1.5(-2.5) cm, glabrous; bracteoles 2-4 mm from flowers, green, linear, 1-2(-4) mm, nearly glabrous.
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 white to light blue, glabrous, lateral sepals spreading to forward pointing, 8-12 × 3-5 mm, spurs straight to gently upcurved, ascending 30-60° above horizontal, 9-12 mm; lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 1-2 mm; hairs centered, densest near base of cleft, white.
Fruits	17-22 mm, 2.5-3 times longer than wide, puberulent.	12-20 mm, 2.6-4 times longer than wide, glabrous.
Seeds	wing-margined; seed coat cells narrow but short, surfaces pustulate.	wing-margined; seed coat cells surfaces smooth.
2n	= 16.

	Delphinium barbeyi	Delphinium inopinum
Phenology	Flowering summer.	Flowering summer.
Habitat	Subalpine and alpine sites in wet soils	Rock outcrops in open coniferous woods
Elevation	2500-4100 m (8200-13500 ft)	2200-2800 m (7200-9200 ft)
Distribution	AZ; CO; NM; UT; WY [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	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.)	Delphinium inopinum is apparently endemic to a white metamorphic rock substrate in the Piute Mountains and southern Sierra Nevada. It is not known to hybridize with any other species, although D. patens subsp. montanum has been collected (when both were flowering) within 1 km of D. inopinum and probably occurs much closer. Delphinium inopinum is often confused with D. parishii subsp. pallidum and superficially resembles some white-flowered individuals of D. hansenii, as well as D. gypsophilum and D. hesperium subsp. pallescens. The massive roots with prominent buds readily distinguish D. inopinum from all of these. In addition, the pubescence found on D. hansenii will separate it from the glabrous D. inopinum. Leaves are rarely seen at anthesis near the base of the stem in D. hesperium subsp. pallescens; they are present in D. inopinum. (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. Multiplex
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. hutchinsoniae, 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	D. parishii var. inopinum
Name authority	(Huth) Huth: Bull. Herb. Boissier 1: 335. (1893)	(Jepson) H. F. Lewis & Epling: Brittonia 8: 11. (1954)
Web links	Local Web sites: SW CO Wildflowers WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: CA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Delphinium inopinum

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

unexpected larkspur

Stems

50-150 cm;

base green, glabrous.

70-110(-150) cm;

base reddish or not, glabrous, often glaucous.

Leaves

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

blade ± pentagonal, 1-5 × 1.5-7 cm, glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-9, width 5-28 mm (basal), 3-18 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.

20-35(-51)-flowered, usually dense;

pedicel 0.3-1.5(-2.5) cm, glabrous;

bracteoles 2-4 mm from flowers, green, linear, 1-2(-4) mm, nearly glabrous.

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 white to light blue, glabrous, lateral sepals spreading to forward pointing, 8-12 × 3-5 mm, spurs straight to gently upcurved, ascending 30-60° above horizontal, 9-12 mm;

lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 1-2 mm;

hairs centered, densest near base of cleft, white.

Fruits

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

12-20 mm, 2.6-4 times longer than wide, glabrous.

Seeds

wing-margined;

seed coat cells narrow but short, surfaces pustulate.

wing-margined;

seed coat cells surfaces smooth.

= 16.

Delphinium inopinum

Phenology

Flowering summer.

Habitat

Subalpine and alpine sites in wet soils

Rock outcrops in open coniferous woods

Elevation

2500-4100 m (8200-13500 ft)

2200-2800 m (7200-9200 ft)

Distribution

AZ; CO; NM; UT; WY

[WildflowerSearch map]

[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.)

Delphinium inopinum is apparently endemic to a white metamorphic rock substrate in the Piute Mountains and southern Sierra Nevada. It is not known to hybridize with any other species, although D. patens subsp. montanum has been collected (when both were flowering) within 1 km of D. inopinum and probably occurs much closer. Delphinium inopinum is often confused with D. parishii subsp. pallidum and superficially resembles some white-flowered individuals of D. hansenii, as well as D. gypsophilum and D. hesperium subsp. pallescens. The massive roots with prominent buds readily distinguish D. inopinum from all of these. In addition, the pubescence found on D. hansenii will separate it from the glabrous D. inopinum. Leaves are rarely seen at anthesis near the base of the stem in D. hesperium subsp. pallescens; they are present in D. inopinum.

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

Source

FNA vol. 3.

Parent taxa

Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Exaltata

Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Multiplex

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. hutchinsoniae, 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

D. parishii var. inopinum

Name authority

(Huth) Huth: Bull. Herb. Boissier 1: 335. (1893)

(Jepson) H. F. Lewis & Epling: Brittonia 8: 11. (1954)

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).

Choose a data source: Flora of North America

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Delphinium barbeyi

Delphinium inopinum

Delphinium barbeyi

Delphinium inopinum