Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium glaucescens

Parry's larkspur, San Bernardino larkspur

glaucous larkspur, glaucus larkspur, smooth larkspur

Stems

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

base reddish, puberulent.

35-70(-100) cm;

base ± reddish, glabrous, glaucous.

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, 2-9 × 3-14 cm, margins seldom laciniate, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-17, width 2-8 mm, tips abruptly tapered to mucronate apex;

midcauline leaf lobes more 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.

10-25-flowered;

pedicel 0.5-1.5 cm, puberulent to glabrous;

bracteoles 2-20 mm from flowers, green, linear, 3-8 mm, nearly glabrous.

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 dark blue, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals spreading to reflexed, 8-12 × 3-4 mm, spurs straight, ascending 40-90°, 9-13 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 1-2 mm;

hairs centered, mostly near base of cleft, white.

Fruits

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

7-13 mm, 3.4-4 times longer than wide, puberulent.

Seeds

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

± wing-margined;

seed coat cells narrow but short, surfaces smooth.

Delphinium glaucescens

Phenology

Flowering summer.

Habitat

Rocky slopes in subalpine coniferous woods

Elevation

2000-4000 m (6600-13100 ft)

Distribution

North America (Calif)

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

ID; MT; WY

[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.)

Hybrids with Delphinium glaucum are known.

(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

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. californicum, D. cardinale, D. carolinianum, D. decorum, D. depauperatum, D. distichum, D. elatum, D. exaltatum, D. geraniifolium, D. geyeri, D. glareosum, 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

Name authority

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

Rydberg: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 1: 155. (1900)

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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