Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium distichum

Delphinium alpestre
Delphinium distichum

Burke's larkspur, meadow larkspur, strict larkspur, two-spike larkspur

alpine larkspur, Colorado larkspur
Stems

(25-)30-60(-80) cm;

base sometimes reddish, puberulent.

5-25 cm;

base green, puberulent.
Leaves

blade cuneate to semicircular, 1-5 × 1.5-7 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 5-19, width 2-8(-15) mm (basal), 0.5-3(-5) mm (cauline);

margins of basal leaf, measured less than 1 cm from blade base, demarcating considerably more than 90° of arc when leaf laid flat;

most cauline leaf blades exceeding internodes.

blade round to pentagonal, 1.5-5 × 2-5 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-15, width 2-11 mm.
Inflorescences

8-30(-40)-flowered, usually dense;

pedicel 0.5-1.5 cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 0-3 mm from flowers, green to blue, linear, 4-8 mm, puberulent.

2-8-flowered;

pedicel 1-4 cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 1-3 mm from flowers, green, linear-lanceolate, 6-10 mm, puberulent.
Flowers

sepals dark blue to bluish purple, puberulent, lateral sepals ± erect, 8-12 × 3.5-5 mm, spurs straight, horizontal or nearly so, 9-15 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 4.5-6.5 mm, clefts 2-3 mm;

hairs centered mostly near base of cleft, white.

sepals dark blue, apex rounded, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading to forward pointing, 11-14 × 5-7 mm, spurs straight except usually slightly down-curved at apex, varying from 20° above to 20° below horizontal, 8-12 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 4-6 mm, clefts 2-4 mm;

hairs sparse, mostly near base of cleft, centered on inner lobes, white.
Fruits

7-13 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, ± puberulent.

7-12 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, puberulent.
Seeds

seed coat cells with surfaces roughened.

unwinged;

seed coat cells elongate, surface roughened.
2n

= 16.

Delphinium distichum

Delphinium alpestre
Phenology Flowering late spring–early summer. Flowering mid-late summer.
Habitat Wet meadows Exposed talus slopes on high peaks
Elevation 100-2400 m (300-7900 ft) (3400-)3800 m and above ((11200-)12500 ft and above)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CO; NM
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Delphinium distichum hybridizes with D. multiplex and D. nuttallianum (D. ×diversicolor Rydberg). The name D. burkei has often been misapplied to D. distichum.

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

Of conservation concern.

Delphinium alpestre is very similar to D. ramosum, possibly divergent from that taxon only since the most recent glaciation of North America, during which ancestors of D. alpestre might have survived on peaks above the ice, while ancestors of D. ramosum survived in valleys below the ice. Since glaciation, D. ramosum apparently has migrated upslope, near but not adjoining populations of D. alpestre.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Depauperata Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Exaltata
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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. 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. strictum var. distichiflorum D. ramosum var. alpestre
Name authority Geyer ex Hooker: J. Bot. 6: 68. (1847) Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 29: 146. (1902)
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).



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