Delphinium bicolor |
Delphinium tricorne |
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Flathead larkspur, little larkspur, low larkspur, Montana larkspur |
dwarf larkspur, rock larkspur |
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Stems | 10-40(-70) cm; base often reddish, glabrous to puberulent. |
20-60 cm; base often reddish, nearly glabrous. |
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Leaves | blade round, 1-4 × 1.5-7 cm, glabrous to puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-19, width 1-8 mm (basal), 1-3 mm (cauline). |
blade round, 2-8 × 4-12 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-18, 5 or more extending more than 3/5 distance to petiole, width 2-10 mm (basal), 4-10 mm (cauline), widest at middle or in proximal 1/2. |
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Inflorescences | 3-12(-22)-flowered; pedicel 1-4(-8) cm, ± puberulent; bracteoles 2-7(-17) mm from flowers, green, sometimes white-margined, lanceolate, 4-6(-8) mm, puberulent. |
5-15(-30)-flowered, less than 3 times longer than wide; pedicel 1-2.5 cm, puberulent; bracteoles 1-4(-6) mm from flowers, green, linear, 3-5 mm, puberulent. |
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Flowers | sepals dark blue, puberulent, lateral sepals usually spreading, 16-21 × 6-12 mm, spurs straight to gently decurved, ascending 0-40° above horizontal, 13-23 mm; lower petal blades covering stamens, 7-12 mm, clefts 0.1-3 mm; hairs sparse, short, mostly on inner lobes below junction of blade and claw, white or yellow. |
sepals deep bluish purple to pink or white, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 11-19 × 4-7 mm, spurs straight, within 30° of horizontal, 13-16 mm; lower petal blades ± covering stamens, blue, except sometimes in white-flowered plants, 6-10 mm, clefts 0.5-2 mm; hairs sparse, mostly centered near junction of blade and claw, white. |
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Fruits | (12-)16-22 mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, usually puberulent. |
14-22 mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, nearly glabrous. |
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Seeds | often winged; seed coat cells with surfaces ± smooth. |
unwinged; surface of each seed coat cell with 1-5 small, swollen, elongate, blunt, hairlike structures, barely visible at 20x, otherwise smooth. |
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2n | = 16. |
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Delphinium bicolor |
Delphinium tricorne |
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Phenology | Flowering spring. | |||||
Habitat | Slopes in deciduous forests, thicket edges, moist prairies | |||||
Elevation | 10-1500 m (0-4900 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
ID; MT; ND; NE; SD; WY; AB; BC; SK
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AL; AR; DC; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MD; MO; MS; NC; NE; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV
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Discussion | Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora). Delphinium bicolor is closely related to D. glareosum; it differs in its wider-lobed cauline leaves, shallower petal clefts, and narrower fruits. The Gosiute consider this plant to be poisonous (D. E. Moerman 1986, subspecies not specified). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Delphinium tricorne is the most commonly encountered larkspur east of the Great Plains. The Cherokee prepared infusions of Delphinium tricorne to ingest for heart problems, although they believed the roots of the plant made cows drunk and killed them (D. E. Moerman 1986). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. | ||||
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Bicoloria | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Grumosa | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Name authority | Nuttall: J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 7: 10. (1834) | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer., 314. (1803) | ||||
Web links |