Delphinium parishii |
Delphinium tricorne |
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desert larkspur, Parish's larkspur |
dwarf larkspur, rock larkspur |
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Stems | (17-)30-60(-100) cm; base reddish or not, glabrous to puberulent. |
20-60 cm; base often reddish, nearly glabrous. |
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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 round, 2-8 × 4-12 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-18, 5 or more extending more than 3/5 distance to petiole, width 2-10 mm (basal), 4-10 mm (cauline), widest at middle or in proximal 1/2. |
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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. |
5-15(-30)-flowered, less than 3 times longer than wide; pedicel 1-2.5 cm, puberulent; bracteoles 1-4(-6) mm from flowers, green, linear, 3-5 mm, puberulent. |
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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 deep bluish purple to pink or white, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 11-19 × 4-7 mm, spurs straight, within 30° of horizontal, 13-16 mm; lower petal blades ± covering stamens, blue, except sometimes in white-flowered plants, 6-10 mm, clefts 0.5-2 mm; hairs sparse, mostly centered near junction of blade and claw, white. |
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Fruits | 9-21 mm, 2-4 times longer than wide, glabrous to puberulent. |
14-22 mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, nearly glabrous. |
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Seeds | seed coat cells ± brick-shaped, cell margins undulate, surfaces roughened. |
unwinged; surface of each seed coat cell with 1-5 small, swollen, elongate, blunt, hairlike structures, barely visible at 20x, otherwise smooth. |
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2n | = 16. |
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Delphinium parishii |
Delphinium tricorne |
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Phenology | Flowering spring. | |||||||||
Habitat | Slopes in deciduous forests, thicket edges, moist prairies | |||||||||
Elevation | 10-1500 m (0-4900 ft) | |||||||||
Distribution |
AZ; CA; NV; UT; nw Mexico
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AL; AR; DC; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MD; MO; MS; NC; NE; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV
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Discussion | Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Delphinium tricorne is the most commonly encountered larkspur east of the Great Plains. The Cherokee prepared infusions of Delphinium tricorne to ingest for heart problems, although they believed the roots of the plant made cows drunk and killed them (D. E. Moerman 1986). (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. Grumosa | ||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Name authority | A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 53. (1887) | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer., 314. (1803) | ||||||||
Web links |