Delphinium xantholeucum |
Delphinium nudicaule |
|
---|---|---|
yellow-white larkspur |
canyon delphinium, canyon larkspur, orange larkspur, red larkspur, red or orange larkspur, scarlet larkspur |
|
Stems | 40-60(-100) cm; base often reddish, glabrous, ± glaucous. |
(15-)20-50(-125) 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 round to pentagonal, 2-6 × 3-10 cm; ultimate lobes 3-12, width 5-40 mm (basal), 2-20 mm (cauline). |
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. |
5-20(-69)-flowered; pedicel (1.5-)2-6(-8) cm, glabrous to glandular-pubescent; bracteoles 14-20(-30) mm from flowers, green to red, linear, 2-4(-9) mm, glabrous to 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 scarlet to reddish orange, rarely dull yellow, glabrous, lateral sepals forward-pointing to form pseudotube, (6-)8-13(-16) × 3-6 mm, spurs straight, slightly ascending, (12-)18-27(-34) mm; lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 2-3 mm, clefts 0.5-1 mm; hairs sparse, evenly dispersed, yellow. |
Fruits | 15-22 mm, 3-4 times longer than wide, glabrous to glandular-puberulent. |
13-26 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, glabrous. |
Seeds | seed coat cells narrow, short, cell margins straight, surfaces smooth. |
unwinged or sometimes slightly wing-margined; seed coat cells with surfaces smooth. |
2n | = 16. |
= 16. |
Delphinium xantholeucum |
Delphinium nudicaule |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring. | Flowering late winter–early summer. |
Habitat | Slopes in open yellow pine forests, grasslands, sage scrub | Moist talus, cliff faces |
Elevation | 150-600 m (500-2000 ft) | 0-2600 m (0-8500 ft) |
Distribution |
WA
|
CA; OR
|
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.) |
Delphinium nudicaule hybridizes with most other taxa of Delphinium that it encounters. Apparent hybrids involving D. nudicaule, and seen by the author (either afield or as specimens), include D. andersonii, D. antoninum, D. decorum, D. luteum, D. nuttallianum, D. patens, and D. trolliifolium. In addition, garden-grown plants have been hybridized with D. cardinale, D. elatum, D. menziesii, D. parishii, D. penardii, D. tatsienense Franchet, D. triste Fischer ex de Candolle, and D. uliginosum; D. nudicaule does not naturally occur with these species. Delphinium nudicaule is one of the earliest larkspurs to flower in any given locality. Douglas's type collection of D. nudicaule represents plants (synonyms D. sarcophyllum Hooker & Arnott and D. peltatum Hooker, an invalid name) grown under very moist conditions, probably quite near the ocean. The type specimen of D. armeniacum A. Heller represents plants grown under unusually dry conditions. The Mendocino Indians consider Delphinium nudicaule a narcotic (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. Bicoloria |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | D. armeniacum | |
Name authority | Piper: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 11: 280. (1906) | Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 33. (1838) |
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