FNA: Delphinium leucophaeum vs. Delphinium geyeri

	Delphinium nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum (synonym of Delphinium leucophaeum)	Delphinium geyeri
	pale larkspur, white rock larkspur	Geyer's larkspur, poisonweed
Stems	30-60 cm.	(15-)30-60(-80) cm; base usually reddish, puberulent.
Leaves		blade light green, ± round, 1-5 × 1-6 cm, densely pubescent; ultimate lobes 7-20, width 2-5 mm (basal), 2-4 mm (cauline), apex gradually tapering to point; veins obscure.
Inflorescences		6-30(-60)-flowered, ± open, cylindric; pedicel ascending to spreading, 1-3(-4) cm, puberulent; bracteoles 1-3 mm from flowers, green, lanceolate, 3-6 mm, puberulent.
Flowers	sepals white or light yellow, spurs 9-11 mm; lower petal blades 4-6 mm.	sepals bright blue, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 10-18 × 4-8 mm, spurs straight to slightly downcurved, ascending 0-30°, 11-16 mm; lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-8 mm, clefts 0.5-2 mm; hairs centered, densest on inner lobes near base of cleft, white to light yellow.
Fruits		11-15 mm, 3-3.5 times longer than wide, sparse puberulent.
Seeds		unwinged; seed coat cells with margins straight, surfaces ± roughened.
2n	= 16.	= 16.

	Delphinium nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum	Delphinium geyeri
Phenology	Flowering late spring.	Flowering late spring–early summer.
Habitat	Rock outcrops, rocky meadows	Grasslands or Artemisia-Cercocarpus scrub
Elevation	50-100 m (200-300 ft)	1400-3000 m (4600-9800 ft)
Distribution	OR [WildflowerSearch map]	CO; MT; NE; UT; WY [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Of conservation concern. The range of morphologic features of Delphinium nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum (D. leucophaeum) is almost completely encompassed within that of D. nuttallii subsp. nuttallii. Sepal color is the only feature consistently separating the two subspecies. Were it not for the fact that any given population typically has plants of only one flower color, a rank of forma would be more appropriate. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)	Apparently closely related to Delphinium stachydeum, D. geyeri is generally smaller, earlier flowering, with more finely dissected leaves and a more eastern geographic distribution. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 3.	FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa	Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Grumosa > Delphinium nuttallii	Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Wislizenana
Sibling taxa	D. nuttallii subsp. nuttallii, D. nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum	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. 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
Synonyms	D. menziesii var. (ß) ochroleucum, D. leucophaeum
Name authority	(Nuttall) M. J. Warnock: Phytologia 78: 98. (1995)	Greene: Erythea 2: 189. (1894)
Web links	Local floras: OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local Web sites: PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Delphinium nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum

(synonym of Delphinium leucophaeum)

Delphinium geyeri

pale larkspur, white rock larkspur

Geyer's larkspur, poisonweed

Stems

30-60 cm.

(15-)30-60(-80) cm;

base usually reddish, puberulent.

Leaves

blade light green, ± round, 1-5 × 1-6 cm, densely pubescent; ultimate lobes 7-20, width 2-5 mm (basal), 2-4 mm (cauline), apex gradually tapering to point;

veins obscure.

Inflorescences

6-30(-60)-flowered, ± open, cylindric;

pedicel ascending to spreading, 1-3(-4) cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 1-3 mm from flowers, green, lanceolate, 3-6 mm, puberulent.

Flowers

sepals white or light yellow, spurs 9-11 mm;

lower petal blades 4-6 mm.

sepals bright blue, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 10-18 × 4-8 mm, spurs straight to slightly downcurved, ascending 0-30°, 11-16 mm;

lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-8 mm, clefts 0.5-2 mm;

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

Fruits

11-15 mm, 3-3.5 times longer than wide, sparse puberulent.

Seeds

unwinged;

seed coat cells with margins straight, surfaces ± roughened.

= 16.

Delphinium nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum

Delphinium geyeri

Phenology

Flowering late spring.

Flowering late spring–early summer.

Habitat

Rock outcrops, rocky meadows

Grasslands or Artemisia-Cercocarpus scrub

Elevation

50-100 m (200-300 ft)

1400-3000 m (4600-9800 ft)

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

CO; MT; NE; UT; WY

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

The range of morphologic features of Delphinium nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum (D. leucophaeum) is almost completely encompassed within that of D. nuttallii subsp. nuttallii. Sepal color is the only feature consistently separating the two subspecies. Were it not for the fact that any given population typically has plants of only one flower color, a rank of forma would be more appropriate.

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

Apparently closely related to Delphinium stachydeum, D. geyeri is generally smaller, earlier flowering, with more finely dissected leaves and a more eastern geographic distribution.

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

Source

FNA vol. 3.

Parent taxa

Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Grumosa > Delphinium nuttallii

Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Wislizenana

Sibling taxa

D. nuttallii subsp. nuttallii, D. nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum

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. 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

Synonyms

D. menziesii var. (ß) ochroleucum, D. leucophaeum

Name authority

(Nuttall) M. J. Warnock: Phytologia 78: 98. (1995)

Greene: Erythea 2: 189. (1894)

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).

Choose a data source: Flora of North America, OregonFlora, UW Burke Herbarium

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Flora of North America species comparison

Delphinium nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum

Delphinium geyeri

Delphinium nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum

Delphinium geyeri