Delphinium umbraculorum |
Delphinium tricorne |
|
---|---|---|
umbrella larkspur |
dwarf larkspur, rock larkspur |
|
Stems | 40-70(-90) cm; base often reddish, glabrous or puberulent. |
20-60 cm; base often reddish, nearly 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, 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. |
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. |
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. |
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 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. |
Fruits | 9-16(-19) mm, 2.5-3(-4) times longer than wide, puberulent. |
14-22 mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, nearly glabrous. |
Seeds | seed coat cells brick-shaped, cell margins straight, surfaces smooth. |
unwinged; surface of each seed coat cell with 1-5 small, swollen, elongate, blunt, hairlike structures, barely visible at 20x, otherwise smooth. |
2n | = 16. |
= 16. |
Delphinium umbraculorum |
Delphinium tricorne |
|
Phenology | Flowering late spring–early summer. | Flowering spring. |
Habitat | Slopes in oak forests | Slopes in deciduous forests, thicket edges, moist prairies |
Elevation | 400-1600 m (1300-5200 ft) | 10-1500 m (0-4900 ft) |
Distribution |
CA
|
AL; AR; DC; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MD; MO; MS; NC; NE; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV
|
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 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. Subscaposa | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Grumosa |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | H. F. Lewis & Epling: Brittonia 8: 19. (1954) | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer., 314. (1803) |
Web links |