Delphinium parishii |
Delphinium inopinum |
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desert larkspur, Parish's larkspur |
unexpected larkspur |
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Stems | (17-)30-60(-100) cm; base reddish or not, glabrous to puberulent. |
70-110(-150) cm; base reddish or not, glabrous, often glaucous. |
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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 ± pentagonal, 1-5 × 1.5-7 cm, glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-9, width 5-28 mm (basal), 3-18 mm (cauline). |
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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. |
20-35(-51)-flowered, usually dense; pedicel 0.3-1.5(-2.5) cm, glabrous; bracteoles 2-4 mm from flowers, green, linear, 1-2(-4) mm, nearly glabrous. |
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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 white to light blue, glabrous, lateral sepals spreading to forward pointing, 8-12 × 3-5 mm, spurs straight to gently upcurved, ascending 30-60° above horizontal, 9-12 mm; lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 1-2 mm; hairs centered, densest near base of cleft, white. |
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Fruits | 9-21 mm, 2-4 times longer than wide, glabrous to puberulent. |
12-20 mm, 2.6-4 times longer than wide, glabrous. |
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Seeds | seed coat cells ± brick-shaped, cell margins undulate, surfaces roughened. |
wing-margined; seed coat cells surfaces smooth. |
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Delphinium parishii |
Delphinium inopinum |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | |||||||||
Habitat | Rock outcrops in open coniferous woods | |||||||||
Elevation | 2200-2800 m (7200-9200 ft) | |||||||||
Distribution |
AZ; CA; NV; UT; nw Mexico
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CA |
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Discussion | Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Delphinium inopinum is apparently endemic to a white metamorphic rock substrate in the Piute Mountains and southern Sierra Nevada. It is not known to hybridize with any other species, although D. patens subsp. montanum has been collected (when both were flowering) within 1 km of D. inopinum and probably occurs much closer. Delphinium inopinum is often confused with D. parishii subsp. pallidum and superficially resembles some white-flowered individuals of D. hansenii, as well as D. gypsophilum and D. hesperium subsp. pallescens. The massive roots with prominent buds readily distinguish D. inopinum from all of these. In addition, the pubescence found on D. hansenii will separate it from the glabrous D. inopinum. Leaves are rarely seen at anthesis near the base of the stem in D. hesperium subsp. pallescens; they are present in D. inopinum. (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. Multiplex | ||||||||
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Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Synonyms | D. parishii var. inopinum | |||||||||
Name authority | A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 53. (1887) | (Jepson) H. F. Lewis & Epling: Brittonia 8: 11. (1954) | ||||||||
Web links |