Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium parishii

Delphinium parishii subsp. pallidum

desert larkspur, Parish's larkspur
Photo is of parent taxon

pale Parish's larkspur, pale-flower Parish's larkspur
Stems

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

base reddish or not, glabrous to puberulent.

(27-)40-60(-95) cm.
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).

primarily on proximal 1/3 of stem; ultimate lobes 3-7, abruptly smaller with narrower lobes on distal portion of stem.
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.

pedicel usually less than 15 mm, 4-17 mm apart.
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 pink or blue, spreading to erect, lateral sepals 6-11 × 2-4 mm, spurs 7-13 mm;

lower petal blades 3-4 mm.
Fruits

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

11-14 mm.
Seeds

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

2n

= 16.

Delphinium parishii

Delphinium parishii subsp. pallidum
Phenology Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Artemisia scrub, open pine woods, chaparral
Elevation 900-1900 m (3000-6200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Nowhere common, Delphinium parishii subsp. pallidum may be in danger of significant population reductions because of human encroachment.

Delphinium parishii subsp. pallidum hybridizes with D. parryi subsp. purpureum. It is frequently confused with D. inopinum. Most of the data attributed to D. inopinum in the paper by H. Lewis and C. Epling (1954) pertain to D. parishii subsp. pallidum. Refer to discussion under D. inopinum for features used to distinguish these two taxa. Plants of D. parishii subsp. pallidum might be confused with D. gypsophilum subsp. parviflorum. Distinguishing characteristics are found in discussion of that taxon.

(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. Subscaposa > Delphinium parishii
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. parishii subsp. parishii, D. parishii subsp. subglobosum
Subordinate taxa
D. parishii subsp. pallidum, D. parishii subsp. parishii, D. parishii subsp. subglobosum
Synonyms D. parishii var. pallidum
Name authority A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 53. (1887) (Munz) M. J. Warnock: Phytologia 68: 2. (1990)
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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