FNA: Delphinium brachycentrum vs. Delphinium scopulorum

	Delphinium brachycentrum	Delphinium scopulorum
	arctic larkspur, northern larkspur	Rocky Mountain larkspur
Stems	20-50(-80) cm; base often reddish, pubescent.	50-120 cm; base often reddish, puberulent, midstems glabrous to subglabrous.
Leaves	blade round to pentagonal, 1.5-6 × 3-11 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 5-15, width 1-7(-15) mm.	blade round to pentagonal, 1.5-10 × 2-16 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-19, width 5-30 mm (basal), 1-10 mm (cauline).
Inflorescences	5-18-flowered; pedicel 1-4.5 cm, pubescent; bracteoles 2-7 mm from flowers, blue, linear, 5-8 mm, puberulent.	10-30-flowered, open, cylindric; pedicel ascending to spreading, 1-3(-4.5) cm, puberulent; bracteoles 2-7 mm from flowers, green, linear, 2-4 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 bright dark blue, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals forward pointing, 12-15 × 4-6 mm, spurs gently decurved, slightly ascending, 15-20 mm; lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 5-8 mm, clefts 1-3 mm; hairs sparse, centered, mostly below junction of blade and claw, white.
Fruits	14-17 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, pubescent.	16-20 mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, nearly glabrous.
Seeds	wing-margined; seed coat cells ± elongate, surfaces roughened.	wing-margined; seed coat cells with margins straight, cell surfaces ± roughened.
2n		= 16.

	Delphinium brachycentrum	Delphinium scopulorum
Phenology	Flowering summer.	Flowering late summer–early autumn.
Habitat	Well-drained tundra slopes	Riparian forests and open woodlands
Elevation	0-1600 m (0-5200 ft)	1700-2600 m (5600-8500 ft)
Distribution	AK; YT; e Asia [BONAP county map]	AZ; NM; Mexico (Sonora) [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.)	Hybrids are known with Delphinium andesicola. (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. Wislizenana
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. 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. stachydeum, D. sutherlandii, D. treleasei, D. tricorne, D. trolliifolium, D. uliginosum, D. umbraculorum, D. variegatum, D. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum
Synonyms	D. chamissonis	D. macrophyllum
Name authority	Ledebour: Fl. Ross. 1: 60. (1841)	A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 9. (1853)
Web links	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: OR Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria 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 scopulorum

arctic larkspur, northern larkspur

Rocky Mountain larkspur

Stems

20-50(-80) cm;

base often reddish, pubescent.

50-120 cm;

base often reddish, puberulent, midstems glabrous to subglabrous.

Leaves

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

blade round to pentagonal, 1.5-10 × 2-16 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-19, width 5-30 mm (basal), 1-10 mm (cauline).

Inflorescences

5-18-flowered;

pedicel 1-4.5 cm, pubescent;

bracteoles 2-7 mm from flowers, blue, linear, 5-8 mm, puberulent.

10-30-flowered, open, cylindric;

pedicel ascending to spreading, 1-3(-4.5) cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 2-7 mm from flowers, green, linear, 2-4 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 bright dark blue, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals forward pointing, 12-15 × 4-6 mm, spurs gently decurved, slightly ascending, 15-20 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 5-8 mm, clefts 1-3 mm;

hairs sparse, centered, mostly below junction of blade and claw, white.

Fruits

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

16-20 mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, nearly glabrous.

Seeds

wing-margined;

seed coat cells ± elongate, surfaces roughened.

wing-margined;

seed coat cells with margins straight, cell surfaces ± roughened.

= 16.

Delphinium brachycentrum

Delphinium scopulorum

Phenology

Flowering summer.

Flowering late summer–early autumn.

Habitat

Well-drained tundra slopes

Riparian forests and open woodlands

Elevation

0-1600 m (0-5200 ft)

1700-2600 m (5600-8500 ft)

Distribution

AK; YT; e Asia

[BONAP county map]

AZ; NM; Mexico (Sonora)

[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.)

Hybrids are known with Delphinium andesicola.

(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. Wislizenana

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. 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. stachydeum, D. sutherlandii, D. treleasei, D. tricorne, D. trolliifolium, D. uliginosum, D. umbraculorum, D. variegatum, D. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum

Synonyms

D. chamissonis

D. macrophyllum

Name authority

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

A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 9. (1853)

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, OregonFlora

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Flora of North America species comparison

Delphinium brachycentrum

Delphinium scopulorum

Delphinium brachycentrum

Delphinium scopulorum