Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium hansenii

Delphinium carolinianum

Eldorado larkspur, Hansen's delphinium, Hansen's larkspur

Carolina larkspur
Stems

(25-)40-80(-180) cm;

base usually reddish, pubescent.

(20-)40-90(-150) cm;

base reddish or not, ± pubescent.
Leaves

blade pentagonal, 1.5-5 × 2.5-8 cm, long-pubescent, especially abaxially; ultimate lobes 0-18, width 4-20 mm (basal), 2-9 mm (cauline).

blade round to pentagonal, 1-8 × 2-12 cm, pubescence variable; ultimate lobes 3-29, width 2-10 mm (basal), 1-7 mm (cauline).
Inflorescences

(9-)15-40(-160)-flowered, dense to open;

pedicel 0.3-2.5(-6) cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 1-5(-8) mm from flowers, green, sometimes white-margined, linear-lanceolate, 2-6(-8) mm, puberulent.

(3-)8-27(-94)-flowered;

pedicel (0.4-)0.7-1.8(-5.7) cm, nearly glabrous to glandular;

bracteoles 1-3.5(-6) mm from flowers, green or blue, linear, 2-7 mm, pubescence nearly glabrous to glandular.
Flowers

sepals violet to white, ± puberulent, lateral sepals spreading to forward pointing, 7-10(-13) × 3-6(-8) mm, spurs gently upcurved, ascending 0-30° above horizontal, (6-)9-13(-16) mm;

lower petal blades elevated, ± exposing stamens, 3-7 mm, cleft 1-2(-4) mm;

hairs centered, densest on inner lobes near base of cleft, white.

sepals purple to blue to white, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals spreading, (7-)9-14(-17) × (3-)3.5-6(-8) mm, spurs ± upcurved, ascending 20-90° above vertical, (9-)11-17(-19) mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 5-7 mm, cleft 2-4 mm;

hairs centered, densest near base of cleft, white, sometimes blue or yellow.
Fruits

8-20 mm, 2.2-4 times longer than wide, glabrous.

(10-)12.5-18.5(-27) mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, glabrous to puberulent.
Seeds

echinate, appearing fuzzy to naked eye;

seed coat cells with margins straight, surfaces sparsely pustulate.

seed coat cells with surfaces pustulate or smooth.

Delphinium hansenii

Delphinium carolinianum
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CO; FL; GA; IA; IL; KS; KY; LA; MN; MO; MS; NC; ND; NE; OK; SC; SD; TN; TX; WI; MB; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

Although Delphinium hansenii has often been confused with D. hesperium, seeds will instantly allow identification. Seeds of Delphinium hansenii are, as far as known, unique, bearing numerous, elongate, prismlike raised structures (extensions of single cells or small groups of cells) over the entire seed coat. If seeds are absent, larger flowers, more open inflorescences (except in D. hesperium subsp. cuyamacae), and general absence of pubescence of long hairs in D. hesperium are apparent upon comparison of the two species. Separating D. hansenii from D. variegatum may also be difficult. Again, seeds leave no doubt. In addition, smaller flowers and greater number of flowers per plant of D. hansenii should serve to distinguish D. hansenii from D. variegatum. White-flowered D. hansenii has been confused with D. gypsophilum and with D. hesperium subsp. pallescens. Other than seeds, pubescence of long hairs and smaller flowers present in D. hansenii and absent in the others will distinguish them.

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

Subspecies 4 (4 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Sepals reddish purple to dark maroon.
subsp. ewanianum
1. Sepals dark blue-purple to white.
→ 2
2. Leaves primarily basal (although leaves may be dry at anthesis and thus lost in herbarium specimens, petiole base will be present); cauline leaves usually fewer than 3; sepals bright blue to white.
subsp. kernense
2. Leaves primarily cauline, basal leaves usually absent at anthesis; cauline leaves 3 or more; sepals dark blue-purple to white or pink.
subsp. hansenii
1. Basal leaves absent at anthesis, cauline leaves divided into many narrow (less than 2 mm wide) segments, blade not distinctly 3-parted; distalmost petiole less than 5 mm; sepals usually blue or purple (rarely white).
subsp. carolinianum
1. Basal leaves usually present at anthesis, and/or cauline leaf lobes usually wider than 2 mm, blade often distinctly 3-parted or more; distalmost petiole more than 5 mm; sepals blue or white.
→ 2
2. Leaf blade distinctly 3-parted with few additional divisions; sepals blue to white; roots usually ± vertical, often without major branches.
subsp. vimineum
2. Leaf blade with 3–5 or more major divisions, each further divided into segments; sepals white to very pale blue; roots ±horizontal with several major branches.
→ 3
3. Stems usually less than 45 cm; in thin soils over limestone in clearings of deciduous woods; leaf blade with 3 major divisions; e of Mississippi River.
subsp. calciphilum
3. Stems usually more than 45 cm; in deeper soils in grasslands; leaf blade with 5 or more major divisions; w of Mississippi River.
subsp. virescens
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Echinata Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Virescens
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. exaltatum, D. geraniifolium, D. geyeri, D. glareosum, D. glaucescens, D. glaucum, D. gracilentum, D. gypsophilum, 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. cardinale, 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
Subordinate taxa
D. hansenii subsp. ewanianum, D. hansenii subsp. hansenii, D. hansenii subsp. kernense
D. carolinianum subsp. calciphilum, D. carolinianum subsp. carolinianum, D. carolinianum subsp. vimineum, D. carolinianum subsp. virescens
Synonyms D. hesperium var. hansenii
Name authority (Greene) Greene: Pittonia 3: 94. (1896) Walter: Fl. Carol., 155. (1788)
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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