Delphinium exaltatum |
Delphinium hesperium |
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tall larkspur |
foothill larkspur, western larkspur |
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Stems | 70-200 cm; base reddish, nearly glabrous. |
(11-)40-80(-120) cm; base usually reddish, longitudinally ridged, puberulent. |
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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 pentagonal, 1-4 × 2-6 cm, usually puberulent, especially abaxially; ultimate lobes 3-14, width 3-8 mm (basal), 2-5 mm (cauline). |
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Inflorescences | 8-30-flowered; pedicel 0.5-2 cm, puberulent; bracteoles 2-4 mm from flowers, green, linear, 2-4 mm, puberulent. |
(5-)15-30(-100)-flowered, moderately open; pedicel (0.5-)1-2.5(-7.5) cm, puberulent; bracteoles 2-6(-12) mm from flowers, green to blue, margins often white, linear-lanceolate, 3-7(-12) mm, puberulent. |
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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 dark blue to white, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 7-13(-16) × 3-10 mm, spurs straight to upcurved, ascending 30-45° above horizontal, 9-18 mm; lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 3-8 mm, clefts 1-5 mm; hairs centered, denser on inner lobes near base of cleft, white. |
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Fruits | 7-12 mm, 2-2.5 times longer than wide, ± puberulent. |
8-18 mm, 2.2-3(-4.2) times longer than wide, sparse puberulent. |
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Seeds | ± wing-margined; seed coat cells elongate, surfaces smooth. |
not echinate, appearing ± smooth to naked eye; seed coat cells with margins straight, surfaces smooth or roughened. |
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Delphinium exaltatum |
Delphinium hesperium |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | |||||||||
Habitat | Rocky slopes in open deciduous woods and barrens, mainly on calcareous substrates, also shale and mafic and ultramafic rocks | |||||||||
Elevation | 150-2000 m (500-6600 ft) | |||||||||
Distribution |
AL; KY; MD; MO; NC; OH; PA; TN; VA; WV
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CA
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Discussion | Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora). Delphinium hesperium is thought to be poisonous to cattle (D. E. Moerman 1986, no subspecies specified). It is often confused with D. hansenii. See discussion under that species for distinguishing features. (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. Exaltata | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Echinata | ||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Name authority | Aiton: Hort. Kew. 2: 244. (1789) | A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 53. (1887) | ||||||||
Web links |