Delphinium uliginosum |
Delphinium elatum |
|
---|---|---|
swamp larkspur |
candle larkspur, candle larkspur (vascan: harms 2006), larkspur |
|
Stems | 10-30(-70) cm; base reddish or not, nearly glabrous. |
40-200 cm; base green, pubescent or glabrous. |
Leaves | blade obdeltoid, apically several parted, 1-8 × 1-7 cm, ± fleshy, glabrous; ultimate lobes 0-3, width 3-20 mm (cauline only); margins of basal leaf, measured less than 1 cm from blade base, demarcating less than 90° of arc when leaf laid flat. |
blade round to pentagonal, 3-15 × 6-22 cm, ± puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-9, width 8-30 mm. |
Inflorescences | 5-20(-48)-flowered, ± open; pedicel 0.3-3(-10) cm, glabrous to puberulent; bracteoles 2-3(-5) mm from flowers, green to blue, lanceolate-linear, 3-4(-7) mm, puberulent. |
25-100(-more)-flowered; pedicel 1-3(-5) cm, glabrous to pubescent; bracteoles 2-5(-9) mm from flowers, green, linear, 5-9 mm, ± puberulent. |
Flowers | sepals dark blue, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals spreading, 9-15 × 5-8 mm, spurs usually upcurved, ascending 30-45° above horizontal, 10-14 mm; lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-5 mm, clefts 2-3 mm; hairs centered, densest on inner lobe above base of cleft, also on margins, white. |
sepals blue, white, or purple, ± puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 12-23 × 4-12 mm, spurs straight, ascending ca. 45° above horizontal, 15-22 mm; lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 0.2-1 mm; hairs sparse or dense, mostly near center of blade, yellow or white. |
Fruits | 10-18 mm, 4.1-4.5 times longer than wide, puberulent. |
13-20 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, ± puberulent. |
Seeds | seed coat cells with surfaces bumpy or wavy. |
winged; seed coats ± with small wavy ridges, cells elongate, surface roughened. |
2n | = 16. |
|
Delphinium uliginosum |
Delphinium elatum |
|
Phenology | Flowering late spring–early summer. | Flowering summer, more than 8 weeks after snowmelt. |
Habitat | Serpentine streamsides, chaparral, grassland | Old homesites |
Elevation | 400-600 m (1300-2000 ft) | 50-3000 m (200-9800 ft) |
Distribution |
CA
|
BC; MB; SK; and probably elsewhere; native to Europe and w Asia [Introduced in North America] |
Discussion | Although some populations are large, Delphinium uliginosum is very local. Hybrids with D. hesperium subsp. pallescens have been seen. Delphinium uliginosum is a very distinctive species, not likely to be confused with any other. The fan-shaped, slightly dissected leaves are apparently unique in the genus. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Delphinium elatum is cultivated as a garden plant or for cut flowers. It is not known to be naturalized extensively in North America; it may persist long after cultivation in cooler parts of the region. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. |
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Depauperata | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Elatopsis > subsect. Elata |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Curran: Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 151. (1885) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 531. (1753) |
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