Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum

(synonym of Delphinium leucophaeum)

Delphinium wootonii
Delphinium leucophaeum

pale larkspur, white rock larkspur

Organ Mountain larkspur, Wooton's larkspur
Stems

30-60 cm.

(15-)30-50(-60) cm;

base sometimes reddish, pubescent.
Leaves

blade reniform to fan-shaped, 1.5-3 × 2.5-4 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 5-24, width 2-6 mm (basal), 1-3 mm (cauline).
Inflorescences

15-30(-49)-flowered;

pedicel 1-2(-3.6) cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 1-5 mm from flowers, green, linear, 1-4(-12) mm, puberulent.
Flowers

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

lower petal blades 4-6 mm.

sepals white to lavender, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals usually reflexed, (6-)8-13 × 3-7 mm, spur straight, ascending 30-80° above horizontal, (8-)13-20(-25) mm;

lower petal blades ± elevated, 6-9 mm, cleft 2.5-4.5 mm;

hairs centered, densest near base of cleft, white.
Fruits

(10-)11-20(-24) mm, 3-3.5 times longer than wide, glabrous.
Seeds

seed coat cells with surfaces pustulate.
2n

= 16.

= 16.

Delphinium nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum

Delphinium wootonii
Phenology Flowering late spring. Flowering spring.
Habitat Rock outcrops, rocky meadows Oak woods, grasslands, desert scrub
Elevation 50-100 m (200-300 ft) 700-1800 m (2300-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; TX; Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua, and Coahuila)
[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.)

Delphinium wootonii hybridizes with D. madrense in the eastern Big Bend area of Texas, and with D. carolinianum subsp. virescens.

(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. Virescens
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. 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. xantholeucum
Synonyms D. menziesii var. (ß) ochroleucum, D. leucophaeum D. virescens subsp. wootonii
Name authority (Nuttall) M. J. Warnock: Phytologia 78: 98. (1995) Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 26: 587. (1900)
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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