Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium xantholeucum

Delphinium bakeri

yellow-white larkspur

Baker's delphinium, Baker's larkspur
Stems

40-60(-100) cm;

base often reddish, glabrous, ± glaucous.

(45-)60-85(-100) cm;

base reddish, glabrous.
Leaves

blade round, 2-6 × 4-10 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-15, width 3-8 mm (basal), 1-5 mm (cauline).

blade pentagonal to round, 1-6 × 1.5-8 cm, margins crenate, glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-5, width 2-5 mm (basal), 5-30 mm (cauline), widest at middle or in proximal 1/2.
Inflorescences

10-20(-60)-flowered, narrowly pyramidal;

pedicel spreading, yellowish, 1.5-3 cm, ± glandular-puberulent;

bracteoles 6-12 mm from flowers, green to light brown, linear to lanceolate, 4-7 mm, nearly glabrous.

8-23-flowered, at least 2 times longer than wide;

pedicel 1-6(-9) cm, glandular-puberulent;

bracteoles 4-6 mm from flowers, green to blue, lance-linear, 5-8(-13) mm, glabrous to glandular-puberulent.
Flowers

sepals yellow, glabrous, lateral sepals reflexed, 9-12 × 3-5 mm, spurs straight, ascending ca. 45° above horizontal, 11-15 mm;

lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 1-2 mm;

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

sepals dark bluish purple, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals spreading, 9-11 × 4-5 mm, spur apex decurved, ± horizontal, 9-13 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 5-7 mm, clefts 2-3 mm;

hairs sparse, mostly near base of cleft, centered or on inner lobes, white.
Fruits

15-22 mm, 3-4 times longer than wide, glabrous to glandular-puberulent.

18-20 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, glabrous.
Seeds

seed coat cells narrow, short, cell margins straight, surfaces smooth.

unwinged;

seed coats smooth.
2n

= 16.

Delphinium xantholeucum

Delphinium bakeri
Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering spring.
Habitat Slopes in open yellow pine forests, grasslands, sage scrub Brushlands and coastal chaparral
Elevation 150-600 m (500-2000 ft) 100-300 m (300-1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Delphinium xantholeucum is very local; much of the habitat of this species has been converted to orchards.

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

Of conservation concern.

Delphinium bakeri is possibly extinct in the wild because of cultivation and sheep grazing in the small area where it grows. It is known from only two localities and has not been collected since 1960. Plants have been grown at Strybing Arboretum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Although their geographic ranges are distinct, D. bakeri is most similar to, and probably closely related to, D. trolliifolium. The former has more rounded incisions on the leaves than the latter, and the pedicel of D. bakeri are consistently glandular. Glandular pedicel appear only occasionally in D. trolliifolium.

(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
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. viridescens, D. wootonii
D. alabamicum, D. alpestre, D. andersonii, D. andesicola, D. antoninum, 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. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum
Name authority Piper: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 11: 280. (1906) Ewan: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 69: 144. (1942)
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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