Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium luteum

Delphinium multiplex

golden larkspur, yellow larkspur

Kittitas larkspur
Stems

20-40(-55) cm;

base often reddish, nearly glabrous.

(40-)80-130(-180) cm;

base usually green, glabrous.
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 on proximal stem, ± cuneate on distal stem, 1.5-9 × 2-14 cm, glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-15, width 15-30 mm (basal), 1-20 mm (cauline).
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.

25-50-flowered, ± dense;

pedicel 0.5-2 cm, glandular-puberulent;

bracteoles 4-5 mm from flowers, green to blue, lanceolate-linear, 3-7 mm, glandular-puberulent.
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 dark blue, puberulent, lateral sepals forward pointing to spreading, 12-15 × 5-7 mm, spurs straight, within 20° of horizontal, 12-16 mm;

lower petal blades slightly elevated, exposing stamens, 6-8 mm, clefts 2-3 mm;

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

11-14 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, glabrous.

10-15 mm, 3-4 times longer than wide, glandular-puberulent.
Seeds

unwinged;

seed coat cell surfaces smooth.

narrowly wing-margined;

seed coat cells with surfaces somewhat roughened.
2n

= 16.

Delphinium luteum

Delphinium multiplex
Phenology Flowering late winter-mid spring. Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Wet cliffs, coastal grassland or chaparral Rocky streambeds
Elevation 0-50 m (0-200 ft) 1500-1800 m (4900-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Delphinium multiplex hybridizes with D. glaucum and D. distichum.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Bicoloria Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Multiplex
Sibling taxa
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. 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
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. 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. cyanoreios
Name authority A. Heller: Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 6: 68. (1903) (Ewan) C. L. Hitchcock: in C. L. Hitchcock et al., Vasc. Pl. Pacif. N.W. 2: 357. (1964)
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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