Delphinium exaltatum |
Delphinium nuttallii |
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tall larkspur |
Nuttall's larkspur, upland larkspur |
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Stems | 70-200 cm; base reddish, nearly glabrous. |
20-60(-90) cm; base usually reddish, pubescent. |
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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 reniform, 2-8 × 3-14 cm, pubescent; ultimate lobes 5-18, width 4-7 mm (basal), 1-5 mm (cauline), widest at middle or in proximal 1/2. |
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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. |
5-25(-40)-flowered, at least 2 times longer than wide; pedicel 1.5-4(-9) cm, puberulent; bracteoles 2-3 mm from flowers, green, linear, 4-6 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 bluish purple to yellowish, (± drab), often partly fading upon drying, puberulent, lateral sepals ± spreading, 8-11 × 3-6 mm, spurs straight, slightly ascending, 9-13 mm; lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 4-6 mm, clefts 0.5-2 mm; hairs well dispersed, mostly near margins and base of cleft, white to yellow or blue. |
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Fruits | 7-12 mm, 2-2.5 times longer than wide, ± puberulent. |
10-14(-18) mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, pubescent. |
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Seeds | ± wing-margined; seed coat cells elongate, surfaces smooth. |
wing-margined; seed coat cell surfaces smooth. |
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Delphinium exaltatum |
Delphinium nuttallii |
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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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OR; WA
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Discussion | Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora). Delphinium nuttallii has often been confused with D. menziesii; it may be distinguished by consistently smaller flowers and usually more flowers per plant than in the latter. Interestingly, each species produces both blue-purple and yellowish flower colors, in separate populations. (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. Grumosa | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Name authority | Aiton: Hort. Kew. 2: 244. (1789) | A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 54. (1887) | ||||
Web links |