Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium variegatum

desert larkspur, Parish's larkspur

royal larkspur

Stems

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

base reddish or not, glabrous to puberulent.

(10-)20-50(-80) cm;

base reddish or not, not longitudinally ridged, long-pubescent.

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, 1-4.5 × 2-6 cm, pubescent; ultimate lobes 3-15, width 3-8 mm (basal), 2-5 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.

(4-)6-17(-20)-flowered, open;

pedicel 0.5-3(-7) cm, usually puberulent;

bracteoles 2-7(-23) mm from flowers, green, linear-lanceolate, 3-8 mm, 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 usually deep royal blue, sometimes bright blue to light blue or white, ± finely pubescent, lateral sepals spreading, 10-18(-25) × 6-10 mm, spurs straight, ascending ca. 30° above horizontal, 10-19 mm;

lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-11 mm, clefts 0.5-3.5 mm;

hairs sparse, more on inner lobes than outer lobe or centered, scattered on margins, white or yellow.

Fruits

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

9-19 mm, 2.2-3.8 times longer than wide, ± puberulent.

Seeds

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

not echinate, appearing ± smooth to naked eye;

seed coat cells with margins ± undulate, surfaces roughened.

Delphinium parishii

Delphinium variegatum

Distribution

AZ; CA; NV; UT; nw Mexico

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

(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

1. Long hairs dense on base of stem; sepals usually deep royal blue; mainland.	subsp. variegatum
1. Long hairs sparse on proximal portion of stems; sepals white to bright blue; islands.	→ 2
2. Sepals bright blue to light blue.	subsp. thornei
2. Sepals white to light blue.	subsp. kinkiense

Source

FNA vol. 3.

Parent taxa

Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Subscaposa

Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Echinata

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. sapellonis, D. scaposum, D. scopulorum, D. stachydeum, D. sutherlandii, D. treleasei, D. tricorne, D. trolliifolium, D. uliginosum, D. umbraculorum, D. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum

Subordinate taxa

D. parishii subsp. pallidum, D. parishii subsp. parishii, D. parishii subsp. subglobosum

D. variegatum subsp. kinkiense, D. variegatum subsp. thornei, D. variegatum subsp. variegatum

Name authority

A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 53. (1887)

Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 32. 183: not D. variegatum Baillon 1883

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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