Delphinium luteum |
Delphinium gypsophilum |
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golden larkspur, yellow larkspur |
gypsum-loving larkspur, Pinoche Creek larkspur |
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Stems | 20-40(-55) cm; base often reddish, nearly glabrous. |
(30-)60-100(-150) cm; base usually reddish, glabrous, glaucous. |
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Leaves | blade round to pentagonal, 1-5 × 2-10 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-5, width 8-30 mm (basal), 5-15 mm (cauline). |
blade round to pentagonal, 1.5-6 × 2-12 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-12, width 3-24 mm (basal), 1-8 mm (cauline). |
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Inflorescences | 5-25(-37)-flowered; pedicel (1-)3-5(-7) cm, puberulent; bracteoles 6-10(-17) mm from flowers, green, linear-lanceolate, 6-7 mm, nearly glabrous. |
15-30(-64)-flowered, cylindric; pedicel spreading, (0.5-)1.5-3.5 cm, glabrous; bracteoles 2-6 mm from flowers, green, linear, 2-5 mm, glabrous. |
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Flowers | sepals bright yellow, puberulent, appearing waxy, lateral sepals ± forward pointing, (11-)14-16 × (6-)9-13 mm, spur straight, ca. 30° below horizontal, 11-20 mm; lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 3-4 mm, clefts 0.5-1.5 mm; hairs sparse or absent, ± evenly distributed if present, white to yellow. |
sepals rarely reflexed, white to pink, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals spreading, 7-19 × 3-10 mm, spurs straight to upcurved, ascending 30-45° above horizontal, 7-15 mm; lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 3-8 mm, clefts 1-4 mm; hairs centered near base of cleft, ± evenly distributed, white. |
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Fruits | 11-14 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, glabrous. |
9-18 mm, 2.5-3.2 times longer than wide, puberulent. |
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Seeds | unwinged; seed coat cell surfaces smooth. |
seed coat cells brick-shaped, cell margins undulate, surfaces roughened. |
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Delphinium luteum |
Delphinium gypsophilum |
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Phenology | Flowering late winter-mid spring. | |||||
Habitat | Wet cliffs, coastal grassland or chaparral | |||||
Elevation | 0-50 m (0-200 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
CA
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CA
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Discussion | Of conservation concern. Delphinium luteum is presently known from only three populations. It is known to hybridize with D. decorum and with D. nudicaule. Populations of D. hesperium subsp. hesperium also occur at the type locality; D. luteum flowers earlier and hybrids are not known. Delphinium luteum is not likely to be mistaken for any other species of Delphinium. It has been treated as a variety of D. nudicaule and is closely related to that species. Sepals of the infrequent yellow-flowered phase of D. nudicaule, however, have a much drabber appearance compared with the bright shining yellow of the sepals in D. luteum. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora). Delphinium gypsophilum is sometimes confused with D. hesperium subsp. pallescens, D. recurvatum, and the white-flowered phases of D. hansenii subsp. kernense. The echinate seeds and long-haired petioles of D. hansenii immediately distinguish it from D. gypsophilum, which has neither. Delphinium gypsophilum is related, and similar in many respects, to D. recurvatum. The two may be distinguished morphologically by their sepals. Delphinium recurvatum has reflexed, blue sepals; those of D. gypsophilum are spreading and white, although they may change to light blue when dry. Plants of D. recurvatum normally are less than 60 cm; those of D. gypsophilum are usually more than 60 cm. Ecologically, D. recurvatum occupies level ground among shrubs, typically in alkaline valley bottoms; D. gypsophilum is found on well-drained hillsides among grasses and in chaparral and oak woodland. From Delphinium hesperium subsp. pallescens, specimens of D. gypsophilum may be separated by their much more finely dissected leaves, with less surface area, stem base usually reddish, stems frequently glaucous proximally, undulate margins of seed coat cells, and absence of striations in stem base of dried specimens. In contrast, D. hesperium subsp. pallescens has leaves less dissected, with greater surface area, stem base rarely reddish, stem not glaucous proximally, seed coat cells with straight margins, and striations present on the proximal stem of dried specimens. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. | ||||
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Bicoloria | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Subscaposa | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Name authority | A. Heller: Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 6: 68. (1903) | Ewan: Univ. Colorado Stud., Ser. D, Phys. Sci. 2: 189. (1945) | ||||
Web links |