Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium umbraculorum

Delphinium variegatum

umbrella larkspur

royal larkspur
Stems

40-70(-90) cm;

base often reddish, glabrous or puberulent.

(10-)20-50(-80) cm;

base reddish or not, not longitudinally ridged, long-pubescent.
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, 1-4.5 × 2-6 cm, pubescent; ultimate lobes 3-15, width 3-8 mm (basal), 2-5 mm (cauline).
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.

(4-)6-17(-20)-flowered, open;

pedicel 0.5-3(-7) cm, usually puberulent;

bracteoles 2-7(-23) mm from flowers, green, linear-lanceolate, 3-8 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 usually deep royal blue, sometimes bright blue to light blue or white, ± finely pubescent, lateral sepals spreading, 10-18(-25) × 6-10 mm, spurs straight, ascending ca. 30° above horizontal, 10-19 mm;

lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-11 mm, clefts 0.5-3.5 mm;

hairs sparse, more on inner lobes than outer lobe or centered, scattered on margins, white or yellow.
Fruits

9-16(-19) mm, 2.5-3(-4) times longer than wide, puberulent.

9-19 mm, 2.2-3.8 times longer than wide, ± puberulent.
Seeds

seed coat cells brick-shaped, cell margins straight, surfaces smooth.

not echinate, appearing ± smooth to naked eye;

seed coat cells with margins ± undulate, surfaces roughened.
2n

= 16.

Delphinium umbraculorum

Delphinium variegatum
Phenology Flowering late spring–early summer.
Habitat Slopes in oak forests
Elevation 400-1600 m (1300-5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Long hairs dense on base of stem; sepals usually deep royal blue; mainland.
subsp. variegatum
1. Long hairs sparse on proximal portion of stems; sepals white to bright blue; islands.
→ 2
2. Sepals bright blue to light blue.
subsp. thornei
2. Sepals white to light blue.
subsp. kinkiense
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Subscaposa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Echinata
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. trolliifolium, D. uliginosum, 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. 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. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum
Subordinate taxa
D. variegatum subsp. kinkiense, D. variegatum subsp. thornei, D. variegatum subsp. variegatum
Name authority H. F. Lewis & Epling: Brittonia 8: 19. (1954) Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 32. 183: not D. variegatum Baillon 1883
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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