Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium trolliifolium

Delphinium depauperatum
Delphinium trolliifolium

Columbian larkspur, cow-poison, poison delphinium, poison larkspur

Blue Mountain, Blue Mountain larkspur, dwarf, dwarf larkspur, few flower larkspur, mountain larkspur, or mountain larkspur, slim larkspur
Stems

(40-)60-120(-180) cm;

base usually reddish, glabrous to puberulent.

unbranched, 10-40(-70) cm;

base usually not reddish, nearly glabrous.
Leaves

blade ± pentagonal, 4-8 × 7-16 cm, margins ± incised, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 0-9, width 15-30 mm (basal), 5-20 mm (cauline), widest at middle or in proximal 1/2.

blade ± round, 1-5 × 1.5-9 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-10, width 2-12 mm (basal), 0.5-3 mm (cauline);

margins of basal leaf, measured less than 1 cm from blade base, demarcating considerably more than 90° of arc when leaf laid flat;

cauline leaf blades much shorter than internodes.
Inflorescences

(5-)14-40(-75)-flowered, ± open, at least 2 times longer than wide;

pedicel 1-4(-9) cm, puberulent to glabrous;

bracteoles (2-)6-12 mm from flowers, green, linear, 5-9(-14) mm, puberulent.

3-15(-25)-flowered, open, ± secund;

pedicel 0.5-3(-7) cm, ± glandular-puberulent;

bracteoles 2-6(-12) mm from flowers, green to blue, linear or lanceolate, 4-5(-8) mm, ± glandular-puberulent.
Flowers

sepals dark blue, glabrous, lateral sepals spreading, (8-)14-21 × 5-9 mm, spurs straight or downcurved at apex, within 20° of horizontal, (10-)16-23 mm;

lower petal blades covering stamens, 5-10 mm, clefts 1.5-3 mm;

hairs sparse, mostly near junction of blade and claw, centered or on inner lobes, well dispersed, yellow.

sepals dark blue to bluish purple, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 10-14 × 4-7 mm, spurs straight, horizontal or nearly so, 12-16 mm;

lower petal blades somewhat elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-7 mm, clefts 2-4 mm;

hairs mostly near base of cleft, white or light yellow.
Fruits

(15-)23-34 mm, 3.8-5.5 times longer than wide, glabrous.

9-16 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, ± puberulent.
Seeds

unwinged;

seed coats smooth.

seed coat cells with surfaces roughened.
2n

= 16.

= 16.

Delphinium trolliifolium

Delphinium depauperatum
Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering summer.
Habitat Oak woods, coastal chaparral, wet woodlands Moist meadows
Elevation 30-1100 m [100-3600 ft] 1800-2600 m [5900-8500 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Delphinium trolliifolium occurs in the northern Coast Range of California, the Columbia River Valley to just east of Mt. Hood, and the Willamette Valley of Oregon upstream to Lane County. California plants differ somewhat from Oregon plants in pubescence patterns and habitat preferences. Further study may show that two entities are involved here.

Hybrids between Delphinium trolliifolium and D. decorum, D. menziesii subsp. pallidum (D. ×pavonaceum Ewan, Peacock larkspur), D. nudicaule, D. nuttallianum, and D. nuttallii are known. Delphinium trolliifolium is likely to be confused only with D. bakeri. Refer to discussion under that species for differences.

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

Delphinium depauperatum and D. nuttallianum are often found in the same meadows, with D. depauperatum occupying wetter sites, often very near streams, while D. nuttallianum is found in drier, better-drained sites. In typical years, the substrate will be dry around D. nuttallianum plants, while the substrate is damp near D. depauperatum plants as they flower. In addition, within a meadow, D. depauperatum flowers later than D. nuttallianum, so there is normally little overlap in flowering phenology of the two taxa. Although hybridization between D. depauperatum and D. nuttallianum is uncommon, hybrids do occur; they have been named D. ×burkei Greene. Burke's specimens at Kew represent a good series of permutations of this cross and successive backcrosses.

Specimens labeled Delphinium depauperatum subsp. harneyense represent the phase with more abundant yellow-glandular trichomes in the inflorescence and slightly larger flowers. Considerable variation in these features may be found within populations. Presence of yellow-glandular hairs is generally greater in more northern populations. Type specimens of Delphinium diversifolium are intermediate in amount of glandular pubescence.

Often confused with Delphinium nuttallianum, D. depauperatum may be distinguished by its cylindric inflorescences, less dissected leaves, winged seeds, and erect fruits. These character states contrast with the pyramidal inflorescences, more dissected leaves, ringed seeds, and spreading fruits of D. nuttallianum.

Dwarfed phases of Delphinium polycladon may be confused with D. depauperatum; they can be distinguished on the basis of bluish purple flowers, sigmoid pedicel, and prominent buds in the former, and dark blue flowers, straight pedicels, and absence of prominent buds in the latter.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3. Treatment author: Michael J. Warnock. FNA vol. 3. Treatment author: Michael J. Warnock.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Grumosa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Depauperata
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. tricorne, 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. 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
Synonyms D. cyanoreios, D. diversifolium, D. diversifolium subsp. harneyense
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 375. (1872) Nuttall: in J. Torrey & A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1: 33. (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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