FNA: Delphinium viridescens vs. Delphinium polycladon

	Delphinium viridescens	Delphinium polycladon
	Wenatchee larkspur	high mountain larkspur, mountain marsh larkspur
Stems	90-150 cm; base usually green, glabrous.	(20-)60-100(-160) cm; base reddish or not, glabrous.
Leaves	blade cuneate to semicircular, 2-5 × 3-12 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-21, width 1-8 mm.	blade round to pentagonal, 1.5-7 × 2-14 cm, glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-12, width 4-30(-45) mm (basal), 3-30 mm (cauline).
Inflorescences	25-80-flowered, dense; pedicel 0.5-2 cm, glandular-pubescent; bracteoles 1-4 mm from flowers, green, lanceolate, 3.5-6 mm, glandular-pubescent.	3-15(-35)-flowered, open, often ± secund; pedicel 1-4(-15) cm, glabrous to puberulent; bracteoles 2-8(-37) mm from flowers, green, linear, 4-7(-11) mm, nearly glabrous.
Flowers	sepals yellowish green, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals forward pointing, 7-9 × 3-4 mm, spurs decurved, 30-45° below horizontal, often hooked apically, 8-11 mm; lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 4-6 mm, clefts 0.5-1.5 mm; hairs centered, mostly near junction of blade and claw, yellow.	sepals bluish purple, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals spreading, (10-)12-18 × 7-10 mm, spurs usually downcurved, ca. 30° below horizontal, 11-22 mm; lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-6 mm, clefts 1-2 mm; hairs mostly near base of cleft on inner lobes, yellow, sometimes white.
Fruits	8-11 mm, 2.5-3 times longer than wide, puberulent.	13-20 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, puberulent.
Seeds	± wing-margined; seed coat cells with surfaces ± roughened.	unwinged; seed coat cells with surfaces roughened.
2n		= 16.

	Delphinium viridescens	Delphinium polycladon
Phenology	Flowering summer.	Flowering summer–early autumn.
Habitat	Wet meadows and streamsides in coniferous forest, heavy clay soils	Wet sites near springs, streamsides, bogs, and wet talus
Elevation	500-1000 m (1600-3300 ft)	2200-3600 m (7200-11800 ft)
Distribution	WA [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	CA; NV [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Of conservation concern. Delphinium viridescens is local in mountains southwest of Wenatchee, Washington. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)	Delphinium polycladon hybridizes with D. depauperatum and D. glaucum. Plants of D. polycladon are extremely variable. Individuals from very rocky, thin-soiled, sunny sites at higher elevations tend to be quite compact; they show the features of the species in a dwarfed state. Proximal internodes are especially shortened. Plants from areas of deeper soil (high or low elevations), especially those growing among shrubs, usually are much taller, with elongate proximal internodes, and other vegetative parts proportionally larger. Shorter plants may be confused with D. depauperatum or D. nuttallianum; see discussion under those species for distinguishing features. Taller plants may be confused with D. glaucum; they can be distinguished by their leaves predominately on proximal part of stem, sigmoid pedicel, and fewer flowers. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 3.	FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa	Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Multiplex	Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Multiplex
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. umbraculorum, D. variegatum, 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. 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. variegatum, D. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum
Synonyms		D. scopulorum var. luporum
Name authority	Leiberg: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 11: 39. (1897)	Eastwood: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 669. (1901)
Web links	Local floras: WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Encyclopedia of Life World Flora Online Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: CA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Encyclopedia of Life World Flora Online Wikipedia Google Image Search

Delphinium polycladon

Wenatchee larkspur

high mountain larkspur, mountain marsh larkspur

Stems

90-150 cm;

base usually green, glabrous.

(20-)60-100(-160) cm;

base reddish or not, glabrous.

Leaves

blade cuneate to semicircular, 2-5 × 3-12 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-21, width 1-8 mm.

blade round to pentagonal, 1.5-7 × 2-14 cm, glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-12, width 4-30(-45) mm (basal), 3-30 mm (cauline).

Inflorescences

25-80-flowered, dense;

pedicel 0.5-2 cm, glandular-pubescent;

bracteoles 1-4 mm from flowers, green, lanceolate, 3.5-6 mm, glandular-pubescent.

3-15(-35)-flowered, open, often ± secund;

pedicel 1-4(-15) cm, glabrous to puberulent;

bracteoles 2-8(-37) mm from flowers, green, linear, 4-7(-11) mm, nearly glabrous.

Flowers

sepals yellowish green, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals forward pointing, 7-9 × 3-4 mm, spurs decurved, 30-45° below horizontal, often hooked apically, 8-11 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 4-6 mm, clefts 0.5-1.5 mm;

hairs centered, mostly near junction of blade and claw, yellow.

sepals bluish purple, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals spreading, (10-)12-18 × 7-10 mm, spurs usually downcurved, ca. 30° below horizontal, 11-22 mm;

lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-6 mm, clefts 1-2 mm;

hairs mostly near base of cleft on inner lobes, yellow, sometimes white.

Fruits

8-11 mm, 2.5-3 times longer than wide, puberulent.

13-20 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, puberulent.

Seeds

± wing-margined;

seed coat cells with surfaces ± roughened.

unwinged;

seed coat cells with surfaces roughened.

= 16.

Delphinium polycladon

Phenology

Flowering summer.

Flowering summer–early autumn.

Habitat

Wet meadows and streamsides in coniferous forest, heavy clay soils

Wet sites near springs, streamsides, bogs, and wet talus

Elevation

500-1000 m (1600-3300 ft)

2200-3600 m (7200-11800 ft)

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

CA; NV

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Delphinium viridescens is local in mountains southwest of Wenatchee, Washington.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Delphinium polycladon hybridizes with D. depauperatum and D. glaucum. Plants of D. polycladon are extremely variable. Individuals from very rocky, thin-soiled, sunny sites at higher elevations tend to be quite compact; they show the features of the species in a dwarfed state. Proximal internodes are especially shortened. Plants from areas of deeper soil (high or low elevations), especially those growing among shrubs, usually are much taller, with elongate proximal internodes, and other vegetative parts proportionally larger. Shorter plants may be confused with D. depauperatum or D. nuttallianum; see discussion under those species for distinguishing features. Taller plants may be confused with D. glaucum; they can be distinguished by their leaves predominately on proximal part of stem, sigmoid pedicel, and fewer flowers.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source

FNA vol. 3.

Parent taxa

Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Multiplex

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. umbraculorum, D. variegatum, 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. 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. variegatum, D. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum

Synonyms

D. scopulorum var. luporum

Name authority

Leiberg: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 11: 39. (1897)

Eastwood: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 669. (1901)

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).

Choose a data source: Flora of North America, UW Burke Herbarium

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Delphinium viridescens

Delphinium polycladon

Delphinium viridescens

Delphinium polycladon