Delphinium luteum |
Delphinium scopulorum |
|
---|---|---|
golden larkspur, yellow larkspur |
Rocky Mountain larkspur |
|
Stems | 20-40(-55) cm; base often reddish, nearly glabrous. |
50-120 cm; base often reddish, puberulent, midstems glabrous to subglabrous. |
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, 1.5-10 × 2-16 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-19, width 5-30 mm (basal), 1-10 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. |
10-30-flowered, open, cylindric; pedicel ascending to spreading, 1-3(-4.5) cm, puberulent; bracteoles 2-7 mm from flowers, green, linear, 2-4 mm, 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 bright dark blue, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals forward pointing, 12-15 × 4-6 mm, spurs gently decurved, slightly ascending, 15-20 mm; lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 5-8 mm, clefts 1-3 mm; hairs sparse, centered, mostly below junction of blade and claw, white. |
Fruits | 11-14 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, glabrous. |
16-20 mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, nearly glabrous. |
Seeds | unwinged; seed coat cell surfaces smooth. |
wing-margined; seed coat cells with margins straight, cell surfaces ± roughened. |
2n | = 16. |
|
Delphinium luteum |
Delphinium scopulorum |
|
Phenology | Flowering late winter-mid spring. | Flowering late summer–early autumn. |
Habitat | Wet cliffs, coastal grassland or chaparral | Riparian forests and open woodlands |
Elevation | 0-50 m (0-200 ft) | 1700-2600 m (5600-8500 ft) |
Distribution |
CA
|
AZ; NM; Mexico (Sonora) |
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.) |
Hybrids are known with Delphinium andesicola. (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. Wislizenana |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | D. macrophyllum | |
Name authority | A. Heller: Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 6: 68. (1903) | A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 9. (1853) |
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