Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium exaltatum

Delphinium cardinale

tall larkspur

cardinal larkspur, cardinal or scarlet larkspur, scarlet larkspur
Stems

70-200 cm;

base reddish, nearly glabrous.

(33-)50-150(-280) cm;

base reddish, ± puberulent.
Leaves

blade pentagonal, 2-7 × 3-9 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-7, width 5-25 mm;

midcauline leaf lobes less than 3 times longer than wide.

blade round to reniform, 3-7 × 5-10 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 0-27, width 5-40 mm (basal), 0.5-6 mm (cauline).
Inflorescences

8-30-flowered;

pedicel 0.5-2 cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 2-4 mm from flowers, green, linear, 2-4 mm, puberulent.

10-40(-80)-flowered, open, narrowly pyramidal;

pedicel spreading, (1-)2-5 cm, ± puberulent;

bracteoles (2-)7-15(-25) mm from flowers, green, linear, 3-7 mm, glabrous to puberulent.
Flowers

sepals whitish to pale lavender or purple, puberulent, lateral sepals forward pointing, 9-11 × 4-6 mm, spurs straight, as much as 45° above or below horizontal, 9-12 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 1-2 mm;

hairs centered, mostly near base of cleft, white.

sepals red, glabrous, lateral sepals forward pointing, 11-15 × 5-8 mm, spurs straight, stout, slightly ascending, 15-24 mm;

lower petal blades nearly coplanar with claw, exposing stamens, 2-5 mm, clefts 0.5-1.5 mm;

hairs centered at base of cleft, short, sparse, yellow.
Fruits

7-12 mm, 2-2.5 times longer than wide, ± puberulent.

erect, 9-18 mm, 2.5-4 times longer than wide, glabrous.
Seeds

± wing-margined;

seed coat cells elongate, surfaces smooth.

unwinged;

seed coat cells with margins undulate, surfaces roughened.
2n

= 16.

Delphinium exaltatum

Delphinium cardinale
Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Rocky slopes in open deciduous woods and barrens, mainly on calcareous substrates, also shale and mafic and ultramafic rocks Slopes (often unstable) in chaparral
Elevation 150-2000 m (500-6600 ft) 50-1500 m (200-4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; KY; MD; MO; NC; OH; PA; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Hybrids between Delphinium cardinale and D. parryi have been named D. ×inflexum Davidson. Because of horticultural interest in red-flowered delphiniums, garden hybrids have been made with D. elatum, D. hesperium, D. hutchinsoniae, D. nudicaule, D. parishii, D. penardii, D. scopulorum, D. tatsienense Franchet, D. uliginosum, and D. zalil Aitchison & Hemsley, although D. cardinale does not grow with any of these in the wild.

Plants of Delphinium cardinale are quite variable in size, leaf distribution, and pubescence, resulting in considerable differences between, and sometimes within, populations. No patterns could be seen, however, to justify recognition of separate taxa within D. cardinale. Populations farther south (in Baja California, Mexico) may represent a distinct entity; they require further study.

The only possible confusion between Delphinium cardinale (seeds not ringed, fruits erect, grows in relatively dry sites) and another taxon might occur with Delphinium nudicaule (seeds ringed, fruits spreading, grows in moist habitats). The two are separated geographically and phenologically (although D. cardinale may begin flowering in southern California before D. nudicaule has finished in northern California).

(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. brachycentrum, D. californicum, D. cardinale, D. carolinianum, D. decorum, D. depauperatum, D. distichum, D. elatum, 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. 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
Name authority Aiton: Hort. Kew. 2: 244. (1789) Hooker: Bot. Mag., plate 4887. (1855)
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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