The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

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

Edwards' Plateau larkspur, Sierra madre larkspur

Stems

50-150 cm;

base green, glabrous.

30-80(-100) cm;

base often reddish, puberulent.

Leaves

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

blade semicircular to cordate, 2-8 × 2-10 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-12, width 3-10 mm (basal), 2-6 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.

5-75(-98)-flowered;

pedicel 1-2.5(-5) cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 2-4(-8) mm from flowers, green, lanceolate-linear, 3-5 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 blue to light blue, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 9-15 × 5-7 mm, spurs straight, ascending ca. 45(-90)°, 10-15(-19) mm;

lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 4-7 mm, clefts 2-4 mm;

hairs centered, densest on inner lobes near base of cleft, white.

Fruits

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

15-21 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, nearly glabrous.

Seeds

wing-margined;

seed coat cells narrow but short, surfaces pustulate.

seed coat cells with surfaces pustulate.

2n

= 16.

Delphinium barbeyi

Delphinium madrense

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Subalpine and alpine sites in wet soils Calcareous slopes, oak woods or desert scrub
Elevation 2500-4100 m (8200-13500 ft) 300-2100 m (1000-6900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas)
[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 madrense hybridizes with D. carolinianum subspp. vimineum and virescens.

(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. Virescens
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. inopinum, D. lineapetalum, D. luteum, 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) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 17: 141. (1890)
Web links