Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium parishii

Delphinium nudicaule

desert larkspur, Parish's larkspur
Delphinium nudicaule

canyon delphinium, canyon larkspur, orange larkspur, red larkspur, red or orange larkspur, scarlet larkspur
Stems

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

base reddish or not, glabrous to puberulent.

(15-)20-50(-125) cm;

base reddish, glabrous.
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, 2-6 × 3-10 cm; ultimate lobes 3-12, width 5-40 mm (basal), 2-20 mm (cauline).
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.

5-20(-69)-flowered;

pedicel (1.5-)2-6(-8) cm, glabrous to glandular-pubescent;

bracteoles 14-20(-30) mm from flowers, green to red, linear, 2-4(-9) mm, glabrous to puberulent.
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 scarlet to reddish orange, rarely dull yellow, glabrous, lateral sepals forward-pointing to form pseudotube, (6-)8-13(-16) × 3-6 mm, spurs straight, slightly ascending, (12-)18-27(-34) mm;

lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 2-3 mm, clefts 0.5-1 mm;

hairs sparse, evenly dispersed, yellow.
Fruits

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

13-26 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, glabrous.
Seeds

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

unwinged or sometimes slightly wing-margined;

seed coat cells with surfaces smooth.
2n

= 16.

Delphinium parishii

Delphinium nudicaule
Phenology Flowering late winter–early summer.
Habitat Moist talus, cliff faces
Elevation 0-2600 m (0-8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Delphinium nudicaule hybridizes with most other taxa of Delphinium that it encounters. Apparent hybrids involving D. nudicaule, and seen by the author (either afield or as specimens), include D. andersonii, D. antoninum, D. decorum, D. luteum, D. nuttallianum, D. patens, and D. trolliifolium. In addition, garden-grown plants have been hybridized with D. cardinale, D. elatum, D. menziesii, D. parishii, D. penardii, D. tatsienense Franchet, D. triste Fischer ex de Candolle, and D. uliginosum; D. nudicaule does not naturally occur with these species. Delphinium nudicaule is one of the earliest larkspurs to flower in any given locality. Douglas's type collection of D. nudicaule represents plants (synonyms D. sarcophyllum Hooker & Arnott and D. peltatum Hooker, an invalid name) grown under very moist conditions, probably quite near the ocean. The type specimen of D. armeniacum A. Heller represents plants grown under unusually dry conditions.

The Mendocino Indians consider Delphinium nudicaule a narcotic (D. E. Moerman 1986).

(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. Bicoloria
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. 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. 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. armeniacum
Name authority A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 53. (1887) Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 33. (1838)
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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