Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium menziesii

Delphinium hesperium

Menzies' larkspur

foothill larkspur, western larkspur
Stems

(10-)35-70(-85) cm;

base often reddish, puberulent.

(11-)40-80(-120) cm;

base usually reddish, longitudinally ridged, puberulent.
Leaves

blade round, 1.5-5 × 3-9 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 5-18, width 2-15 mm (basal), 1-10 mm (cauline), widest at middle or in proximal 1/2.

blade round to pentagonal, 1-4 × 2-6 cm, usually puberulent, especially abaxially; ultimate lobes 3-14, width 3-8 mm (basal), 2-5 mm (cauline).
Inflorescences

3-15(-43)-flowered;

pedicel 1.5-4(-7) cm, (glandular) puberulent;

bracteoles 8-10(-24) mm from flowers, green to blue, linear, 4-6(-9) mm, puberulent.

(5-)15-30(-100)-flowered, moderately open;

pedicel (0.5-)1-2.5(-7.5) cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 2-6(-12) mm from flowers, green to blue, margins often white, linear-lanceolate, 3-7(-12) mm, puberulent.
Flowers

sepals bluish purple or yellowish, often partly fading upon drying, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, (11-)13-20 × 5-11 mm, spurs straight, ascending less than 30° above horizontal, 11-17 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 8-12 mm, clefts 0.2-2.5 mm;

hairs sparse, centered, mostly near junction of blade and claw above base of cleft, white or blue.

sepals dark blue to white, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 7-13(-16) × 3-10 mm, spurs straight to upcurved, ascending 30-45° above horizontal, 9-18 mm;

lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 3-8 mm, clefts 1-5 mm;

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

11-17 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, puberulent.

8-18 mm, 2.2-3(-4.2) times longer than wide, sparse puberulent.
Seeds

wing-margined;

seed coat cell surfaces smooth, without swollen blunt hair.

not echinate, appearing ± smooth to naked eye;

seed coat cells with margins straight, surfaces smooth or roughened.

Delphinium menziesii

Delphinium hesperium
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Although Delphinium menziesii has often been confused with D. nuttallii, it may be distinguished by its consistently larger flowers and usually fewer flowers per plant. Interestingly, each species produces both blue-purple and yellowish flower colors in separate populations.

The Chehalis consider Delphinium menziesii poisonous, but they also apply it to sores. The women of the Thompson Indians use it as a love charm (D. E. Moerman 1986, subspecies not indicated).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

Delphinium hesperium is thought to be poisonous to cattle (D. E. Moerman 1986, no subspecies specified). It is often confused with D. hansenii. See discussion under that species for distinguishing features.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Sepals blue to purple.
subsp. menziesii
1. Sepals yellowish to white.
subsp. pallidum
1. Lateral sepals 4(–5) mm wide or less; inflorescence dense (individual flowers often touching in pressed specimens).
subsp. cuyamacae
1. Lateral sepals more than 4 mm wide; inflorescence open (individual flowers seldom touching in pressed specimens).
→ 2
2. Sepals dark blue-purple.
subsp. hesperium
2. Sepals white to pinkish, rarely light blue.
subsp. pallescens
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Grumosa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Echinata
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. luteum, D. madrense, 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. 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. wootonii, D. xantholeucum
Subordinate taxa
D. menziesii subsp. menziesii, D. menziesii subsp. pallidum
D. hesperium subsp. cuyamacae, D. hesperium subsp. hesperium, D. hesperium subsp. pallescens
Name authority de Candolle: Syst. Nat. 1: 355. (1817) A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 53. (1887)
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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