Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium nuttallii

Delphinium inopinum

Nuttall's larkspur, upland larkspur

unexpected larkspur
Stems

20-60(-90) cm;

base usually reddish, pubescent.

70-110(-150) cm;

base reddish or not, glabrous, often glaucous.
Leaves

blade round to reniform, 2-8 × 3-14 cm, pubescent; ultimate lobes 5-18, width 4-7 mm (basal), 1-5 mm (cauline), widest at middle or in proximal 1/2.

blade ± pentagonal, 1-5 × 1.5-7 cm, glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-9, width 5-28 mm (basal), 3-18 mm (cauline).
Inflorescences

5-25(-40)-flowered, at least 2 times longer than wide;

pedicel 1.5-4(-9) cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 2-3 mm from flowers, green, linear, 4-6 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.
Flowers

sepals bluish purple to yellowish, (± drab), often partly fading upon drying, puberulent, lateral sepals ± spreading, 8-11 × 3-6 mm, spurs straight, slightly ascending, 9-13 mm;

lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 4-6 mm, clefts 0.5-2 mm;

hairs well dispersed, mostly near margins and base of cleft, white to yellow or blue.

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.
Fruits

10-14(-18) mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, pubescent.

12-20 mm, 2.6-4 times longer than wide, glabrous.
Seeds

wing-margined;

seed coat cell surfaces smooth.

wing-margined;

seed coat cells surfaces smooth.

Delphinium nuttallii

Delphinium inopinum
Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Rock outcrops in open coniferous woods
Elevation 2200-2800 m (7200-9200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Delphinium nuttallii has often been confused with D. menziesii; it may be distinguished by consistently smaller flowers and usually more flowers per plant than in the latter. Interestingly, each species produces both blue-purple and yellowish flower colors, in separate populations.

(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.)
Key
1. Sepals blue or bluish purple; spur more than 10 mm.
subsp. nuttallii
1. Sepals white or light yellow; spur less than 10 mm.
subsp. ochroleucum
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Grumosa 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. 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
D. nuttallii subsp. nuttallii, D. nuttallii subsp. ochroleucum
Synonyms D. parishii var. inopinum
Name authority A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 12: 54. (1887) (Jepson) H. F. Lewis & Epling: Brittonia 8: 11. (1954)
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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