Delphinium umbraculorum |
Delphinium elatum |
|
---|---|---|
umbrella larkspur |
candle larkspur, candle larkspur (vascan: harms 2006), larkspur |
|
Stems | 40-70(-90) cm; base often reddish, glabrous or puberulent. |
40-200 cm; base green, pubescent or glabrous. |
Leaves | blade round to pentagonal, 1.5-4 × 2-6 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-13, width 3-20 mm (basal), 1-8 mm (cauline). |
blade round to pentagonal, 3-15 × 6-22 cm, ± puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-9, width 8-30 mm. |
Inflorescences | (5-)10-25(-45)-flowered, open, narrowly pyramidal; pedicel 0.5-3(-7) cm, glabrous to puberulent; bracteoles 3-7 mm from flowers, green, linear, 3-6 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, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 9-16 × 4-7 mm, spurs gently upcurved, ascending 30-45° above horizontal, 8-14 mm; lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 3.5-6 mm, clefts 0.5-1.5 mm; hairs densest near junction of blade and claw above base of cleft, centered or on inner lobes, 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 | 9-16(-19) mm, 2.5-3(-4) times longer than wide, puberulent. |
13-20 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, ± puberulent. |
Seeds | seed coat cells brick-shaped, cell margins straight, surfaces smooth. |
winged; seed coats ± with small wavy ridges, cells elongate, surface roughened. |
2n | = 16. |
|
Delphinium umbraculorum |
Delphinium elatum |
|
Phenology | Flowering late spring–early summer. | Flowering summer, more than 8 weeks after snowmelt. |
Habitat | Slopes in oak forests | Old homesites |
Elevation | 400-1600 m (1300-5200 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 | Delphinium umbraculorum is most often confused with D. patens subsp. hepaticoideum; refer to discussion of that taxon for distinguishing features. Hybrids occur with D. parryi and D. patens subsp. montanum. (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. Subscaposa | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Elatopsis > subsect. Elata |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | H. F. Lewis & Epling: Brittonia 8: 19. (1954) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 531. (1753) |
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