Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium tricorne

Delphinium exaltatum

dwarf larkspur, rock larkspur

tall larkspur
Stems

20-60 cm;

base often reddish, nearly glabrous.

70-200 cm;

base reddish, nearly glabrous.
Leaves

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.

blade pentagonal, 2-7 × 3-9 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-7, width 5-25 mm;

midcauline leaf lobes less than 3 times longer than wide.
Inflorescences

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.

8-30-flowered;

pedicel 0.5-2 cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 2-4 mm from flowers, green, linear, 2-4 mm, puberulent.
Flowers

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.

sepals whitish to pale lavender or purple, puberulent, lateral sepals forward pointing, 9-11 × 4-6 mm, spurs straight, as much as 45° above or below horizontal, 9-12 mm;

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

hairs centered, mostly near base of cleft, white.
Fruits

14-22 mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, nearly glabrous.

7-12 mm, 2-2.5 times longer than wide, ± puberulent.
Seeds

unwinged;

surface of each seed coat cell with 1-5 small, swollen, elongate, blunt, hairlike structures, barely visible at 20x, otherwise smooth.

± wing-margined;

seed coat cells elongate, surfaces smooth.
2n

= 16.

Delphinium tricorne

Delphinium exaltatum
Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering summer.
Habitat Slopes in deciduous forests, thicket edges, moist prairies Rocky slopes in open deciduous woods and barrens, mainly on calcareous substrates, also shale and mafic and ultramafic rocks
Elevation 10-1500 m (0-4900 ft) 150-2000 m (500-6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MD; MO; MS; NC; NE; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; KY; MD; MO; NC; OH; PA; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Grumosa 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. 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. 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. 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
Name authority Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer., 314. (1803) Aiton: Hort. Kew. 2: 244. (1789)
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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