Delphinium parishii |
Delphinium alpestre |
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desert larkspur, Parish's larkspur |
alpine larkspur, Colorado larkspur |
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Stems | (17-)30-60(-100) cm; base reddish or not, glabrous to puberulent. |
5-25 cm; base green, puberulent. |
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Leaves | blade pentagonal, 0.7-5 × 1-8 cm, glabrous to puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-18, width 2-18 mm (basal), 0.5-8 mm (cauline). |
blade round to pentagonal, 1.5-5 × 2-5 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-15, width 2-11 mm. |
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Inflorescences | (6-)10-40(-74)-flowered, cylindric; pedicel ascending-spreading, (0.3-)1-2.5(-4.8) cm, glabrous to puberulent; bracteoles 2-5(-10) mm from flowers, green, lance-linear, 2-6(-16) mm, glabrous to puberulent. |
2-8-flowered; pedicel 1-4 cm, puberulent; bracteoles 1-3 mm from flowers, green, linear-lanceolate, 6-10 mm, puberulent. |
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Flowers | sepals dark blue to white to pink, often puberulent, lateral sepals reflexed or spreading, (7-)9-13 × 2-7 mm, spurs ± decurved, ascending 20-45° above horizontal, 7-15 mm; lower petal blades ± elevated, exposing stamens, blue or white to pink (concolorous with sepals), 3-6 mm, clefts 1-3 mm; hairs mostly near base of cleft, centered or on inner lobes, white. |
sepals dark blue, apex rounded, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading to forward pointing, 11-14 × 5-7 mm, spurs straight except usually slightly down-curved at apex, varying from 20° above to 20° below horizontal, 8-12 mm; lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 4-6 mm, clefts 2-4 mm; hairs sparse, mostly near base of cleft, centered on inner lobes, white. |
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Fruits | 9-21 mm, 2-4 times longer than wide, glabrous to puberulent. |
7-12 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, puberulent. |
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Seeds | seed coat cells ± brick-shaped, cell margins undulate, surfaces roughened. |
unwinged; seed coat cells elongate, surface roughened. |
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Delphinium parishii |
Delphinium alpestre |
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Phenology | Flowering mid-late summer. | |||||||||
Habitat | Exposed talus slopes on high peaks | |||||||||
Elevation | (3400-)3800 m and above ((11200-)12500 ft and above) | |||||||||
Distribution |
AZ; CA; NV; UT; nw Mexico
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CO; NM |
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Discussion | Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Of conservation concern. Delphinium alpestre is very similar to D. ramosum, possibly divergent from that taxon only since the most recent glaciation of North America, during which ancestors of D. alpestre might have survived on peaks above the ice, while ancestors of D. ramosum survived in valleys below the ice. Since glaciation, D. ramosum apparently has migrated upslope, near but not adjoining populations of D. alpestre. (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. Subscaposa | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Exaltata | ||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Synonyms | D. ramosum var. alpestre | |||||||||
Name authority | A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 53. (1887) | Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 29: 146. (1902) | ||||||||
Web links |