Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium distichum

Delphinium andesicola
Delphinium distichum

Burke's larkspur, meadow larkspur, strict larkspur, two-spike larkspur

Chiricahua Mountain larkspur
Stems

(25-)30-60(-80) cm;

base sometimes reddish, puberulent.

60-200 +cm;

base reddish or not, glabrous, glaucous.
Leaves

blade cuneate to semicircular, 1-5 × 1.5-7 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 5-19, width 2-8(-15) mm (basal), 0.5-3(-5) mm (cauline);

margins of basal leaf, measured less than 1 cm from blade base, demarcating considerably more than 90° of arc when leaf laid flat;

most cauline leaf blades exceeding internodes.

blade cordate to semicircular, 5-8 × 5-12 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 5-16, width 3-20 mm, tips gradually tapered to mucronate apex;

midcauline leaf lobes more than 3 times longer than wide.
Inflorescences

8-30(-40)-flowered, usually dense;

pedicel 0.5-1.5 cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 0-3 mm from flowers, green to blue, linear, 4-8 mm, puberulent.

20-80-flowered;

pedicel 1-2(-3) cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 1-3 mm from flowers, green to brown, linear-lanceolate, 3-6 mm, puberulent.
Flowers

sepals dark blue to bluish purple, puberulent, lateral sepals ± erect, 8-12 × 3.5-5 mm, spurs straight, horizontal or nearly so, 9-15 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 4.5-6.5 mm, clefts 2-3 mm;

hairs centered mostly near base of cleft, white.

sepals purple, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 9-12 × 5-7 mm, spurs ascending ca. 45°, curved downward apically, purple, 10-13 mm, blunt tipped;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 4-6 mm, clefts 1.5-2.5 mm;

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

7-13 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, ± puberulent.

12-15 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, sparsely puberulent.
Seeds

seed coat cells with surfaces roughened.

unwinged;

seed coat cells elongate, surfaces pustulate.
2n

= 16.

= 16.

Delphinium distichum

Delphinium andesicola
Phenology Flowering late spring–early summer. Flowering summer–early fall.
Habitat Wet meadows Meadows and coniferous woods
Elevation 100-2400 m (300-7900 ft) 2200-3200 m (7200-10500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AZ
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Delphinium distichum hybridizes with D. multiplex and D. nuttallianum (D. ×diversicolor Rydberg). The name D. burkei has often been misapplied to D. distichum.

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

Delphinium andesicola, the westernmost representative of the southern Cordilleran complex, is found in the Chiricahua, Huachuca, Graham, and White mountains. Hybrids with Delphinium scopulorum are known.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Depauperata Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Exaltata
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. 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
D. alabamicum, D. alpestre, D. andersonii, 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. xantholeucum
Synonyms D. strictum var. distichiflorum D. andesicola subsp. amplum
Name authority Geyer ex Hooker: J. Bot. 6: 68. (1847) Ewan: J. Washington Acad. Sci. 29: 476. (1939)
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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