Delphinium hansenii |
Delphinium scaposum |
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eldorado larkspur, Hansen's delphinium, Hansen's larkspur |
bare-stem larkspur, desert larkspur, tall mountain larkspur |
|||||||||
Stems | (25-)40-80(-180) cm; base usually reddish, pubescent. |
25-50(-65) cm; base usually reddish, glabrous, glaucous. |
||||||||
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, 0.5-4 × 0.5-6 cm, puberulent to glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-9, width 2-15 mm (basal), 0.5-3 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. |
10-25(-40)-flowered, cylindric; pedicel ascending, 0.6-2.5 cm, glabrous; bracteoles 2-5 mm from flowers, green to blue, linear-lanceolate, 2-4 mm, glabrous. |
||||||||
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 bright dark blue, glabrous, lateral sepals spreading, 11-14 × 4-6 mm, spurs straight, sometimes decurved, ascending 30-45° above horizontal, 13-18 mm; lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 5-8 mm, cleft 2-4 mm; hairs mostly centered on inner lobes near junction of blade and claw, white. |
||||||||
Fruits | 8-20 mm, 2.2-4 times longer than wide, glabrous. |
12-16 mm, 2.5-3 times longer than wide, glabrous. |
||||||||
Seeds | echinate, appearing fuzzy to naked eye; seed coat cells with margins straight, surfaces sparsely pustulate. |
seed coat cells ± brick-shaped, cell margins straight, surfaces smooth. |
||||||||
2n | = 16. |
|||||||||
Delphinium hansenii |
Delphinium scaposum |
|||||||||
Phenology | Flowering spring. | |||||||||
Habitat | Juniper woods, grassland | |||||||||
Elevation | 1200-2700 m (3900-8900 ft) | |||||||||
Distribution |
CA
|
AZ; CO; NM; UT
|
||||||||
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.) |
Delphinium scaposum is reportedly used in Navajo and Hopi religous ceremonies, as well as for a wash following childbirth (D. E. Moerman 1986). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
||||||||
Key |
|
|||||||||
Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. | ||||||||
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Echinata | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Subscaposa | ||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Synonyms | D. hesperium var. hansenii | D. andersonii var. scaposum | ||||||||
Name authority | (Greene) Greene: Pittonia 3: 94. (1896) | Greene: Bot. Gaz. 6: 156. 1881, not D. scaposum W. T. Wang (1957) | ||||||||
Web links |