Delphinium menziesii |
Delphinium scopulorum |
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Menzies' larkspur |
Rocky Mountain larkspur |
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Stems | (10-)35-70(-85) cm; base often reddish, puberulent. |
50-120 cm; base often reddish, puberulent, midstems glabrous to subglabrous. |
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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, 1.5-10 × 2-16 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-19, width 5-30 mm (basal), 1-10 mm (cauline). |
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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. |
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. |
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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 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. |
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Fruits | 11-17 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, puberulent. |
16-20 mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, nearly glabrous. |
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Seeds | wing-margined; seed coat cell surfaces smooth, without swollen blunt hair. |
wing-margined; seed coat cells with margins straight, cell surfaces ± roughened. |
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2n | = 16. |
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Delphinium menziesii |
Delphinium scopulorum |
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Phenology | Flowering late summer–early autumn. | |||||
Habitat | Riparian forests and open woodlands | |||||
Elevation | 1700-2600 m (5600-8500 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
OR; WA; BC
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AZ; NM; Mexico (Sonora) |
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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.) |
Hybrids are known with Delphinium andesicola. (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. Grumosa | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Wislizenana | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | D. macrophyllum | |||||
Name authority | de Candolle: Syst. Nat. 1: 355. (1817) | A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 9. (1853) | ||||
Web links |