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desert larkspur, Parish's larkspur

Sapello Canyon larkspur

Stems

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

base reddish or not, glabrous to puberulent.

(50-)100-180(-220) cm;

base sometimes reddish, glabrous sometimes 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, 6-10 × 8-16 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-15, width 5-25 mm.

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.

(12-)30-80(-120)-flowered;

pedicel 0.5-2 cm, glandular-puberulent;

bracteoles 3-5 mm from flowers, green to purple, linear, 5-8 mm, glandular-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 (in bud) yellowish or brownish purple, becoming browner or yellower with age, glandular-puberulent, lateral sepals forward pointing, 8-12 × 3-5 mm, spurs straight, ascending 20-45° above horizontal, 8-11 mm;

lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 2.5-5 mm, clefts 1-2 mm;

hairs centered, mostly above base of cleft, yellow.

Fruits

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

12-18 mm, 3-4 times longer than wide, puberulent.

Seeds

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

wing-margined;

seed coat cells elongate, surfaces smooth.

Delphinium parishii

Delphinium sapellonis

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Subalpine meadows and open coniferous forest
Elevation 2600-3500 m (8500-11500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NM
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Delphinium sapellonis hybridizes with D. barbeyi and D. robustum. It replaces D. robustum and represents the southern Cordilleran complex at higher elevations of the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains east of Santa Fe. It is not known elsewhere.

(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. 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. parishii, D. parryi, D. patens, D. polycladon, D. purpusii, D. ramosum, D. recurvatum, D. robustum, 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
Name authority A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 53. (1887) Tidestrom: Bot. Gaz. 34: 453. (1902)
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