Delphinium recurvatum |
Delphinium sect. Diedropetala |
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Byron larkspur, recurved larkspur, valley larkspur |
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Roots | 2-80 cm, tuberlike or fibrous, dry or fleshy; buds often less than 3 mm. |
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Stems | (18-)30-50(-85) cm; base reddish, glabrous. |
1-8(-19) per root; base firmly attached to root or not. |
Leaves | blade round to pentagonal, 1-4 × 1.5-6 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-11, width 3-15 mm (basal), 1-10 mm (cauline). |
cauline and/or in basal rosette, gradually or abruptly reduced into bracts. |
Inflorescences | (8-)10-25(-47)-flowered, narrowly pyramidal; pedicel ± spreading, (0.5-)1.5-4(-6) cm, nearly glabrous; bracteoles 3-8(-18) mm from flowers, green, sometimes margins white, lanceolate to linear, 3-5(-8) mm, nearly glabrous. |
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Flowers | sepals light to sky blue (becoming bluer upon drying), puberulent, lateral sepals reflexed, 11-16 × 5-7(-9) mm, spurs straight to gently upcurved, ascending 0-30° above horizontal, 10-15(-18) mm; lower petal blades elevated, ± exposing stamens, 5-8 mm, clefts 0.5-2.5 mm; hairs mostly centered on inner lobes near base of cleft, white. |
sepals blue, purple, white, red, or yellow; lower petal blades often same color as lateral sepals, usually greater than 1/5 length of lateral sepals (exceptions in red- and yellow-flowered species). |
Fruits | 8-21 mm, 2.2-3 times longer than wide, puberulent. |
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Seeds | seed coat cells brick-shaped, cell margins undulate, surfaces roughened. |
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2n | = 16. |
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Delphinium recurvatum |
Delphinium sect. Diedropetala |
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Phenology | Flowering spring. | |
Habitat | Grassland, Atriplex scrub | |
Elevation | 30-600 m (100-2000 ft) | |
Distribution |
CA
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Discussion | Of conservation concern. Delphinium recurvatum has a very restricted distribution in the Central (especially San Joaquin) Valley. This species was probably much more common in the past; most of its habitat has been converted into irrigated croplands. Delphinium recurvatum grows in poorly drained, alkaline soils on valley floors. Hybrids are known between Delphinium recurvatum and D. gypsophilum, D. hesperium, D. parryi, and D. variegatum. Delphinium recurvatum is most likely to be confused with D. gypsophilum or D. hesperium subsp. pallescens. Distinguishing features are found in discussions of those taxa. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3, p. 197. |
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Subscaposa | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | D. hesperium var. recurvatum | |
Name authority | Greene: Pittonia 1: 285. (1889) | Huth: Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 20: 420. (1895) |
Web links |