Delphinium nudicaule |
Delphinium brachycentrum |
|
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canyon delphinium, canyon larkspur, orange larkspur, red larkspur, red or orange larkspur, scarlet larkspur |
arctic larkspur, northern larkspur |
|
Stems | (15-)20-50(-125) cm; base reddish, glabrous. |
20-50(-80) cm; base often reddish, pubescent. |
Leaves | blade round to pentagonal, 2-6 × 3-10 cm; ultimate lobes 3-12, width 5-40 mm (basal), 2-20 mm (cauline). |
blade round to pentagonal, 1.5-6 × 3-11 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 5-15, width 1-7(-15) mm. |
Inflorescences | 5-20(-69)-flowered; pedicel (1.5-)2-6(-8) cm, glabrous to glandular-pubescent; bracteoles 14-20(-30) mm from flowers, green to red, linear, 2-4(-9) mm, glabrous to puberulent. |
5-18-flowered; pedicel 1-4.5 cm, pubescent; bracteoles 2-7 mm from flowers, blue, linear, 5-8 mm, puberulent. |
Flowers | sepals scarlet to reddish orange, rarely dull yellow, glabrous, lateral sepals forward-pointing to form pseudotube, (6-)8-13(-16) × 3-6 mm, spurs straight, slightly ascending, (12-)18-27(-34) mm; lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 2-3 mm, clefts 0.5-1 mm; hairs sparse, evenly dispersed, yellow. |
sepals dark blue, apex rounded, puberulent, lateral sepals forward pointing, 17-24 × 7-9 mm, spurs straight to slightly decurved, ascending 30-60° above horizontal, 15-17 mm; lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 5-7 mm, clefts 0.5-1.5 mm; hairs sparse, local, centered, mostly above base of cleft, white. |
Fruits | 13-26 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, glabrous. |
14-17 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, pubescent. |
Seeds | unwinged or sometimes slightly wing-margined; seed coat cells with surfaces smooth. |
wing-margined; seed coat cells ± elongate, surfaces roughened. |
2n | = 16. |
|
Delphinium nudicaule |
Delphinium brachycentrum |
|
Phenology | Flowering late winter–early summer. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Moist talus, cliff faces | Well-drained tundra slopes |
Elevation | 0-2600 m [0-8500 ft] | 0-1600 m [0-5200 ft] |
Distribution |
CA; OR
|
AK; YT; e Asia |
Discussion | Delphinium nudicaule hybridizes with most other taxa of Delphinium that it encounters. Apparent hybrids involving D. nudicaule, and seen by the author (either afield or as specimens), include D. andersonii, D. antoninum, D. decorum, D. luteum, D. nuttallianum, D. patens, and D. trolliifolium. In addition, garden-grown plants have been hybridized with D. cardinale, D. elatum, D. menziesii, D. parishii, D. penardii, D. tatsienense Franchet, D. triste Fischer ex de Candolle, and D. uliginosum; D. nudicaule does not naturally occur with these species. Delphinium nudicaule is one of the earliest larkspurs to flower in any given locality. Douglas's type collection of D. nudicaule represents plants (synonyms D. sarcophyllum Hooker & Arnott and D. peltatum Hooker, an invalid name) grown under very moist conditions, probably quite near the ocean. The type specimen of D. armeniacum A. Heller represents plants grown under unusually dry conditions. The Mendocino Indians consider Delphinium nudicaule a narcotic (D. E. Moerman 1986). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Hybrids with Delphinium glaucum are known as D. ×nutans A. Nelson. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | D. armeniacum | D. chamissonis |
Name authority | Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 33. (1838) | Ledebour: Fl. Ross. 1: 60. (1841) |
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