Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum

(synonym of Delphinium leucophaeum)

Delphinium lineapetalum
Delphinium leucophaeum

pale larkspur, white rock larkspur

thinpetal larkspur
Stems

30-60 cm.

(15-)30-60 cm;

base usually reddish, glabrous to glaucous.
Leaves

blade round, 1-5 × 2-6 cm, glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-16, width 1-4 mm (basal), 0.5-3 mm (cauline).
Inflorescences

(3-)9-24(-40)-flowered, pyramidal;

pedicel spreading, 1-2.5 cm, glabrous or glandular-puberulent;

bracteoles 4-7 mm from flowers, blue or green, linear, 1-3 mm, glabrous or glandular-puberulent.
Flowers

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

lower petal blades 4-6 mm.

sepals light blue to lavender, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals reflexed, 10-13 × 3-5 mm, spurs straight to slightly decurved, nearly horizontal to ascending ca. 30°, 11-17 mm;

lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 0.5-2 mm;

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

13-21 mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, puberulent to glabrous.
Seeds

seed coat cells narrow, short, cell margins straight, surfaces smooth.
2n

= 16.

Delphinium nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum

Delphinium lineapetalum
Phenology Flowering late spring. Flowering spring.
Habitat Rock outcrops, rocky meadows Open pine woods, dry meadows
Elevation 50-100 m (200-300 ft) 400-1800 m (1300-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
WA
[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.)

Of conservation concern.

(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. Subscaposa
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. geyeri, D. glareosum, D. glaucescens, D. glaucum, D. gracilentum, D. gypsophilum, D. hansenii, D. hesperium, D. hutchinsoniae, D. inopinum, 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 D. nuttallianum var. lineapetalum
Name authority (Nuttall) M. J. Warnock: Phytologia 78: 98. (1995) Ewan: Univ. Colorado Stud., Ser. D, Phys. Sci. 2: 126. (1945)
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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