Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium nuttallianum

Delphinium stachydeum

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

hedgenettle larkspur, Rocky Mountain larkspur, spike larkspur, Umatilla larkspur
Stems

unbranched, 10-40(-70) cm;

base reddish, pubescence variable.

(40-)70-150(-200) cm;

base reddish, 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 light green, ± round, 2-8 × 3.5-11 cm, sparsely pubescent; ultimate lobes 7-19, width 1-8 mm, apex tapering to point;

veins obscure.
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.

(14-)30-60(-102)-flowered, dense, cylindric;

pedicel spreading, 0.8-2(-3) cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 1-4 mm from flowers, green, linear, 2-7(-10) 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 bright blue, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 9-13 × 4-7 mm, spurs straight, within 30° above or below horizontal, 11-17 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 4-8 mm, clefts 0.5-2 mm;

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

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

10-15 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, puberulent.
Seeds

winged or not;

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

wing-margined;

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

= 16.

Delphinium nuttallianum

Delphinium stachydeum
Phenology Flowering spring (-early summer). Flowering summer.
Habitat Open coniferous woods, grassy sage scrub, meadow edges and well drained streamsides (generally not in very wet sites) Swales in Artemisia scrub
Elevation 300-3500 m (1000-11500 ft) 1300-3000 m (4300-9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; WA
[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.)

Populations of Delphinium stachydeum are widely scattered in isolated mountain ranges surrounded by desert or grassland. The species has been reported (visual sightings) from northwestern Utah; no specimens have been seen from there. Hybrids between D. stachydeum and D. glaucum have been reported. Although D. stachydeum has been seen flowering within 30 m of flowering D. depauperatum, no hybrids have been observed.

Delphinium stachydeum may possibly be confused with D. geyeri, from which it may be distinguished by its usually greater plant size, less pubescent foliage, and later flowering date. Delphinium stachydeum also may be confused with D. glaucum; see discussion under that species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Grumosa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Wislizenana
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. hesperium, 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. sutherlandii, D. treleasei, D. tricorne, D. trolliifolium, D. uliginosum, D. umbraculorum, D. variegatum, D. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum
Synonyms D. pauciflorum, D. nuttallianum var. fulvum, D. nuttallianum var. levicaule, D. sonnei D. scopulorum var. stachydeum, D. confertiflorum, D. umatillense
Name authority Pritzel: in Walpers, Repert. Bot. Syst. 1: 744. (1842) (A. Gray) Tidestrom: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 27: 61. (1914)
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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