Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium nuttallianum

Delphinium hesperium

dwarf, meadow, Nuttall's larkspur, or Sonne's larkspur, slim, thin-petal larkspur, two-lobe larkspur, upland larkspur

foothill larkspur, western larkspur
Stems

unbranched, 10-40(-70) cm;

base reddish, pubescence variable.

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

base usually reddish, longitudinally ridged, puberulent.
Leaves

blade round, 1-6 × 2-12 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-21, 5 or more extending more than 3/5 distance to petiole, width 1-7(-14) mm (basal), 0.5-6 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

4-18(-48)-flowered, at least 2 times as long as wide;

pedicel 0.8-6 cm, pubescence variable;

bracteoles 3-8(-18) mm from flowers, green to blue, linear, 3-7 mm, pubescence variable.

(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 usually bluish purple, rarely white to pink, puberulent, lateral sepals reflexed or spreading, 8-21 × 3-10 mm, spurs decurved to straight, ascending 20-60° above horizontal, 8-23 mm;

lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, blue to purple, except sometimes in white-flowered plants, 4-11 mm, clefts 2-5 mm;

hairs mostly on inner lobes below junction of blade and claw, white, rarely yellow.

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

7-22 mm, 3.5-5 times longer than wide, glabrous to puberulent.

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

winged or not;

seed coat cell surfaces smooth or roughened, blunt hairs absent.

not echinate, appearing ± smooth to naked eye;

seed coat cells with margins straight, surfaces smooth or roughened.
2n

= 16.

Delphinium nuttallianum

Delphinium hesperium
Phenology Flowering spring (-early summer).
Habitat Open coniferous woods, grassy sage scrub, meadow edges and well drained streamsides (generally not in very wet sites)
Elevation 300-3500 m (1000-11500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Delphinium nuttallianum represents an extremely difficult complex, with many variations in a number of morphologic traits. The complex has been and continues to be a major source of confusion for identification of Delphinium in North America. Type specimens of D. nuttallianum represent plants growing under dry conditions in open areas. These are typically found at 1200-2000 m in sage scrub or lower montane forest. Delphinium nuttallianum may be confused with D. andersonii, D. antoninum, D. depauperatum, D. gracilentum, and two subspecies of D. patens (subsp. patens and subsp. montanum). Features that may be used to separate D. nuttallianum from the first four, are enumerated under the respective species discussions. From D. patens subsp. patens, D. nuttallianum may be distinguished by its narrower leaf lobes, larger fruits, and more compact inflorescence. The frequent presence of glandular hairs in the inflorescence of D. patens subsp. montanum, contrasted with their absence in D. nuttallianum, will separate these taxa. Dwarfed plants of D. polycladon may be confused with D. nuttallianum. The latter, however may be distinguished by its ringed seeds, and it does not have prominent buds or sigmoid pedicel.

Hybrids have been seen between Delphinium nuttallianum and D. andersonii, D. depauperatum (D. ×burkei Greene), D. distichum (D. ×diversicolor Rydberg), D. nudicaule, and D. polycladon.

(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. 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. menziesii, D. multiplex, D. newtonianum, D. novomexicanum, D. nudicaule, 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. hesperium subsp. cuyamacae, D. hesperium subsp. hesperium, D. hesperium subsp. pallescens
Synonyms D. pauciflorum, D. nuttallianum var. fulvum, D. nuttallianum var. levicaule, D. sonnei
Name authority Pritzel: in Walpers, Repert. Bot. Syst. 1: 744. (1842) 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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