Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium californicum

Parry's larkspur, San Bernardino larkspur

California larkspur, coast larkspur

Stems

(10-)40-80(-110) cm;

base reddish, puberulent.

(60-)100-160(-230) cm;

base reddish, puberulent-glabrous.

Leaves

blade pentagonal, 1-7 × 2-10 cm, ± puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-27, width 1-20 mm (basal), 0.5-5 mm (cauline).

blade pentagonal to round, 3-9 × 3-12 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-15, width 5-60 mm;

midcauline leaf lobes less than 3 times longer than wide.

Inflorescences

(2-)8-24(-48)-flowered, cylindric;

pedicel ± spreading, (0.5-)1-3(-6.8) cm, usually puberulent;

bracteoles 2-7(-16) mm from flowers, green to blue, lance-linear, 2-6(-10) mm, puberulent.

(16-)40-90(-162)-flowered;

pedicel 0.5-2.5(-6.5) cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 2-5 mm from flowers, reddish, linear, (3-)7-12(-15) mm, puberulent.

Flowers

sepals dark blue to bluish purple, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading or reflexed, (7-)10-20(-25) × 4-9 mm, spurs straight, ascending 0-30° above horizontal, 9-17(-21) mm;

lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 3-10 mm, clefts 2-6 mm;

hairs mostly near base of cleft, centered or on inner lobes, white.

sepals lavender to greenish white, abaxially puberulent, lateral sepals forward pointing to form a pseudotube, 6-11 × 5-7 mm, spurs straight, slightly ascending, apically downcurved, 7-11(-14) mm;

lower petal blades elevated, ± exposing stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 1.5-2.5 mm;

hairs covering adaxial surface, white or light yellow.

Fruits

10-19 mm, 2.8-4 times longer than wide, puberulent or glabrous.

11-16 mm, 2.5-3.5 times longer than wide, glabrous to sparsely puberulent.

Seeds

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

unwinged;

seed coat cells elongate, surfaces ± roughened.

Delphinium californicum

Distribution

North America (Calif)

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Subspecies 5 (5 in the flora).

A number of local phases are found in Delphinium parryi. Five of these appear consistently distinct and are recognized here. Other phases may be locally distinct but grade into other nearby phases. Delphinium parryi hybridizes with D. cardinale (D. ×inflexum Davidson).

The Kawaiisu used the ground root of Delphinium parryi medicinally as a salve for swollen limbs (D. E. Moerman 1986, no subspecies specified).

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

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Delphinium californicum can be confused only with D. glaucum or D. exaltatum. The three species may be separated by the abundant pubescence and early flowering date of D. californicum as compared to the other two taxa, low elevation sites of D. californicum compared to D. glaucum, and western geographic distribution of D. californicum compared to D. exaltatum.

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

Key

1. Basal leaves usually absent at anthesis.	→ 2
1. Basal leaves usually present at anthesis.	→ 3
2. Lateral sepals 16–25 mm.	subsp. blochmaniae
2. Lateral sepals 9–15 mm.	subsp. parryi
3. Lateral sepals 7–11 mm; above 700 m elevation.	subsp. purpureum
3. Lateral sepals (9–)12–20 mm; below 700 m elevation.	→ 4
4. Sepals usually reflexed.	subsp. eastwoodiae
4. Sepals usually spreading.	subsp. maritimum

1. Sepals lavender; inflorescences puberulent; upper petals hairy.	subsp. californicum
1. Sepals greenish white; inflorescences nearly glabrous; upper petals glabrous.	subsp. interius

Source

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. parishii, 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. 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. variegatum, D. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum

Subordinate taxa

D. parryi subsp. blochmaniae, D. parryi subsp. eastwoodiae, D. parryi subsp. maritimum, D. parryi subsp. parryi, D. parryi subsp. purpureum

D. californicum subsp. californicum, D. californicum subsp. interius

Name authority

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

Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 31. (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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