Delphinium variegatum |
Delphinium inopinum |
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royal larkspur |
unexpected larkspur |
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Stems | (10-)20-50(-80) cm; base reddish or not, not longitudinally ridged, long-pubescent. |
70-110(-150) cm; base reddish or not, glabrous, often glaucous. |
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Leaves | blade round to pentagonal, 1-4.5 × 2-6 cm, pubescent; ultimate lobes 3-15, width 3-8 mm (basal), 2-5 mm (cauline). |
blade ± pentagonal, 1-5 × 1.5-7 cm, glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-9, width 5-28 mm (basal), 3-18 mm (cauline). |
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Inflorescences | (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. |
20-35(-51)-flowered, usually dense; pedicel 0.3-1.5(-2.5) cm, glabrous; bracteoles 2-4 mm from flowers, green, linear, 1-2(-4) mm, nearly glabrous. |
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Flowers | 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. |
sepals white to light blue, glabrous, lateral sepals spreading to forward pointing, 8-12 × 3-5 mm, spurs straight to gently upcurved, ascending 30-60° above horizontal, 9-12 mm; lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 1-2 mm; hairs centered, densest near base of cleft, white. |
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Fruits | 9-19 mm, 2.2-3.8 times longer than wide, ± puberulent. |
12-20 mm, 2.6-4 times longer than wide, glabrous. |
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Seeds | not echinate, appearing ± smooth to naked eye; seed coat cells with margins ± undulate, surfaces roughened. |
wing-margined; seed coat cells surfaces smooth. |
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Delphinium variegatum |
Delphinium inopinum |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | |||||||||
Habitat | Rock outcrops in open coniferous woods | |||||||||
Elevation | 2200-2800 m (7200-9200 ft) | |||||||||
Distribution |
CA
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CA |
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Discussion | Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Delphinium inopinum is apparently endemic to a white metamorphic rock substrate in the Piute Mountains and southern Sierra Nevada. It is not known to hybridize with any other species, although D. patens subsp. montanum has been collected (when both were flowering) within 1 km of D. inopinum and probably occurs much closer. Delphinium inopinum is often confused with D. parishii subsp. pallidum and superficially resembles some white-flowered individuals of D. hansenii, as well as D. gypsophilum and D. hesperium subsp. pallescens. The massive roots with prominent buds readily distinguish D. inopinum from all of these. In addition, the pubescence found on D. hansenii will separate it from the glabrous D. inopinum. Leaves are rarely seen at anthesis near the base of the stem in D. hesperium subsp. pallescens; they are present in D. inopinum. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 3. | FNA vol. 3. | ||||||||
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Echinata | Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Multiplex | ||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Synonyms | D. parishii var. inopinum | |||||||||
Name authority | Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 32. 183: not D. variegatum Baillon 1883 | (Jepson) H. F. Lewis & Epling: Brittonia 8: 11. (1954) | ||||||||
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