FNA: Delphinium brachycentrum vs. Delphinium madrense

	Delphinium brachycentrum	Delphinium madrense
	arctic larkspur, northern larkspur	Edwards' Plateau larkspur, Sierra madre larkspur
Stems	20-50(-80) cm; base often reddish, pubescent.	30-80(-100) cm; base often reddish, puberulent.
Leaves	blade round to pentagonal, 1.5-6 × 3-11 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 5-15, width 1-7(-15) 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	5-18-flowered; pedicel 1-4.5 cm, pubescent; bracteoles 2-7 mm from flowers, blue, linear, 5-8 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 blue, apex rounded, puberulent, lateral sepals forward pointing, 17-24 × 7-9 mm, spurs straight to slightly decurved, ascending 30-60° above horizontal, 15-17 mm; lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 5-7 mm, clefts 0.5-1.5 mm; hairs sparse, local, centered, mostly above base of cleft, white.	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	14-17 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, pubescent.	15-21 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, nearly glabrous.
Seeds	wing-margined; seed coat cells ± elongate, surfaces roughened.	seed coat cells with surfaces pustulate.

	Delphinium brachycentrum	Delphinium madrense
Phenology	Flowering summer.	Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat	Well-drained tundra slopes	Calcareous slopes, oak woods or desert scrub
Elevation	0-1600 m (0-5200 ft)	300-2100 m (1000-6900 ft)
Distribution	AK; YT; e Asia [BONAP county map]	TX; Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas) [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Hybrids with Delphinium glaucum are known as D. ×nutans A. Nelson. (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. barbeyi, D. basalticum, D. bicolor, 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. chamissonis
Name authority	Ledebour: Fl. Ross. 1: 60. (1841)	S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 17: 141. (1890)
Web links	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Delphinium brachycentrum

Delphinium madrense

arctic larkspur, northern larkspur

Edwards' Plateau larkspur, Sierra madre larkspur

Stems

20-50(-80) cm;

base often reddish, pubescent.

30-80(-100) cm;

base often reddish, puberulent.

Leaves

blade round to pentagonal, 1.5-6 × 3-11 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 5-15, width 1-7(-15) 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

5-18-flowered;

pedicel 1-4.5 cm, pubescent;

bracteoles 2-7 mm from flowers, blue, linear, 5-8 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 blue, apex rounded, puberulent, lateral sepals forward pointing, 17-24 × 7-9 mm, spurs straight to slightly decurved, ascending 30-60° above horizontal, 15-17 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 5-7 mm, clefts 0.5-1.5 mm;

hairs sparse, local, centered, mostly above base of cleft, white.

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

14-17 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, pubescent.

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

Seeds

wing-margined;

seed coat cells ± elongate, surfaces roughened.

seed coat cells with surfaces pustulate.

Delphinium brachycentrum

Delphinium madrense

Phenology

Flowering summer.

Flowering spring–early summer.

Habitat

Well-drained tundra slopes

Calcareous slopes, oak woods or desert scrub

Elevation

0-1600 m (0-5200 ft)

300-2100 m (1000-6900 ft)

Distribution

AK; YT; e Asia

[BONAP county map]

TX; Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas)

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Hybrids with Delphinium glaucum are known as D. ×nutans A. Nelson.

(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.

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. barbeyi, D. basalticum, D. bicolor, 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. chamissonis

Name authority

Ledebour: Fl. Ross. 1: 60. (1841)

S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 17: 141. (1890)

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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Flora of North America species comparison

Delphinium brachycentrum

Delphinium madrense

Delphinium brachycentrum

Delphinium madrense