Delphinium nudicaule |
Delphinium geyeri |
|
---|---|---|
canyon delphinium, canyon larkspur, orange larkspur, red larkspur, red or orange larkspur, scarlet larkspur |
Geyer's larkspur, poisonweed |
|
Stems | (15-)20-50(-125) cm; base reddish, glabrous. |
(15-)30-60(-80) cm; base usually reddish, puberulent. |
Leaves | blade round to pentagonal, 2-6 × 3-10 cm; ultimate lobes 3-12, width 5-40 mm (basal), 2-20 mm (cauline). |
blade light green, ± round, 1-5 × 1-6 cm, densely pubescent; ultimate lobes 7-20, width 2-5 mm (basal), 2-4 mm (cauline), apex gradually tapering to point; veins obscure. |
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. |
6-30(-60)-flowered, ± open, cylindric; pedicel ascending to spreading, 1-3(-4) cm, puberulent; bracteoles 1-3 mm from flowers, green, lanceolate, 3-6 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 bright blue, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 10-18 × 4-8 mm, spurs straight to slightly downcurved, ascending 0-30°, 11-16 mm; lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-8 mm, clefts 0.5-2 mm; hairs centered, densest on inner lobes near base of cleft, white to light yellow. |
Fruits | 13-26 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, glabrous. |
11-15 mm, 3-3.5 times longer than wide, sparse puberulent. |
Seeds | unwinged or sometimes slightly wing-margined; seed coat cells with surfaces smooth. |
unwinged; seed coat cells with margins straight, surfaces ± roughened. |
2n | = 16. |
= 16. |
Delphinium nudicaule |
Delphinium geyeri |
|
Phenology | Flowering late winter–early summer. | Flowering late spring–early summer. |
Habitat | Moist talus, cliff faces | Grasslands or Artemisia-Cercocarpus scrub |
Elevation | 0-2600 m [0-8500 ft] | 1400-3000 m [4600-9800 ft] |
Distribution |
CA; OR
|
CO; MT; NE; UT; WY
|
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.) |
Apparently closely related to Delphinium stachydeum, D. geyeri is generally smaller, earlier flowering, with more finely dissected leaves and a more eastern geographic distribution. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | D. armeniacum | |
Name authority | Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 33. (1838) | Greene: Erythea 2: 189. (1894) |
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