Delphinium exaltatum |
Delphinium variegatum |
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tall larkspur |
royal larkspur |
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Stems | 70-200 cm; base reddish, nearly glabrous. |
(10-)20-50(-80) cm; base reddish or not, not longitudinally ridged, long-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 pentagonal, 1-4.5 × 2-6 cm, pubescent; ultimate lobes 3-15, 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. |
(4-)6-17(-20)-flowered, open; pedicel 0.5-3(-7) cm, usually puberulent; bracteoles 2-7(-23) mm from flowers, green, linear-lanceolate, 3-8 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 usually deep royal blue, sometimes bright blue to light blue or white, ± finely pubescent, lateral sepals spreading, 10-18(-25) × 6-10 mm, spurs straight, ascending ca. 30° above horizontal, 10-19 mm; lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-11 mm, clefts 0.5-3.5 mm; hairs sparse, more on inner lobes than outer lobe or centered, scattered on margins, white or yellow. |
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Fruits | 7-12 mm, 2-2.5 times longer than wide, ± puberulent. |
9-19 mm, 2.2-3.8 times longer than wide, ± 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 ± undulate, surfaces roughened. |
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Delphinium exaltatum |
Delphinium variegatum |
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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). (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) | Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 32. 183: not D. variegatum Baillon 1883 | ||||||||
Web links |