Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium parishii

Delphinium glaucum

desert larkspur, Parish's larkspur

Brown's larkspur, duncecap larkspur, giant, giant larkspur, glaucous larkspur, Hooker's larkspur, mountain, mountain larkspur, or tall larkspur, pale larkspur, pale-flower Brown's larkspur, Sierra larkspur, tall larkspur, western larkspur
Stems

(17-)30-60(-100) cm;

base reddish or not, glabrous to puberulent.

(60-)100-200(-300) cm;

base usually green, glabrous, glaucous.
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, 2-11 × 3-18 cm, margins seldom laciniate, glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-9(-15), width 5-24(-35) mm, tips abruptly tapered to mucronate apex;

midcauline leaf lobes more than 3 times longer than wide.
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.

(13-)40-90(-140)-flowered;

pedicel 1-3(-5) cm, puberulent or glabrous;

bracteoles 2-6(-10) mm from flowers, green to blue, linear, 2-7 mm, puberulent or glabrous.
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 bluish purple to lavender, puberulent, lateral sepals forward pointing to spreading, 8-14(-21) × 3-6 mm, spurs straight, ascending to ca. 45°, 10-15(-19) mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 4-6 mm, clefts 1-3 mm;

hairs centered, mostly near base of cleft, white.
Fruits

9-21 mm, 2-4 times longer than wide, glabrous to puberulent.

9-20 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, glabrous to puberulent.
Seeds

seed coat cells ± brick-shaped, cell margins undulate, surfaces roughened.

wing-margined;

seed coat cells elongate but short, surfaces smooth or roughened.
2n

= 16.

Delphinium parishii

Delphinium glaucum
Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Meadows, wet thickets, bogs, streamsides, open coniferous woods
Elevation 0-3200 m (0-10500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

At the sites in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Delphinium glaucum is naturalized, not native.

Delphinium glaucum hybridizes extensively with D. barbeyi in Utah and Colorado to the extent that hybrids [D. ×occidentale (S. Watson) S. Watson] are more common in many areas than individuals of either parental stock. It occasionally hybridizes with D. distichum, D. polycladon, D. ramosum, and D. stachydeum. Hybrids with D. brachycentrum are called D. ×nutans A. Nelson.

Tremendous variation is apparent in what is here recognized as Delphinium glaucum. This is the northern expression of the complex described in the discussion under Delphinium subsect. Exaltata. Although some geographic patterns are apparent in the variation within D. glaucum, infraspecific entities are not here recognized. Apparently because of rather recent and/or incomplete genetic isolation, the degree of differentiation between these units is not such that they can be consistently recognized.

Specimens named Delphinium splendens represent plants grown in high-moisture, low-light conditions and may occur as sporadic individuals anywhere from California to Alaska. Type specimens of D. brownii Rydberg, D. canmorense Rydberg, and D. hookeri A. Nelson represent plants grown on relatively dry sites at high latitudes. Plants from dry sites at low latitudes are represented by D. bakerianum Bornmüller and D. occidentale var. reticulatum A. Nelson. Plants with lavender to white flowers are represented by type specimens of D. brownii forma pallidiflorum B. Boivin and D. cucullatum A. Nelson. Type specimens of D. alatum A. Nelson and D. glaucum var. alpinum F. L. Wynd (an invalid name) represent plants growing above or near treeline.

Delphinium glaucum may be confused with D. californicum, D. exaltatum, D. polycladon, or D. stachydeum. For distinctions from D. californicum, see discussion under that species. Absence of basal or proximal cauline leaves, generally much larger plants (greater than 1.5 m), more flowers in the inflorescence, and shorter petioles on the leaves of D. glaucum are features that serve to distinguish this species from D. polycladon. In the latter, the leaves are primarily on the proximal stem, plants often less than 1.5 m, flowers more scattered, and petioles more than twice the length of leaf blades. Features of the sepals may be used to distinguish D. glaucum (dark lavender to blue purple, usually only minutely puberulent) from D. stachydeum (bright blue, densely puberulent). Vegetative parts of D. stachydeum are also densely puberulent, while those of D. glaucum typically are glabrous.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Lateral sepals reflexed; sepals bright, ± sky blue.
subsp. parishii
1. Lateral sepals not reflexed; sepals dark blue or white to pink.
→ 2
2. Sepals dark blue; flowers rarely present after 20 May.
subsp. subglobosum
2. Sepals white, pinkish, or purplish; flowers rarely present before 20 May.
subsp. pallidum
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Subscaposa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Exaltata
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. nuttallianum, D. nuttallii, 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. 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. stachydeum, D. sutherlandii, D. treleasei, D. tricorne, D. trolliifolium, D. uliginosum, D. umbraculorum, D. variegatum, D. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum
Subordinate taxa
D. parishii subsp. pallidum, D. parishii subsp. parishii, D. parishii subsp. subglobosum
Synonyms D. scopulorum var. glaucum, D. splendens
Name authority A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 53. (1887) S. Watson: Bot. California 2: 427. (1880)
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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