Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium elatum

spreading larkspur, spreading or zigzag larkspur, zigzag larkspur

candle larkspur, candle larkspur (vascan: harms 2006), larkspur

Stems

(10-)20-50(-90) cm;

base reddish, glabrous to puberulent.

40-200 cm;

base green, pubescent or glabrous.

Leaves

blade round to pentagonal, 1-5.5 × 2-7.5 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-9, less often wedge-shaped, 5 or more extending more than 3/5 distance to petiole, width 5-30(-50) mm (basal), 1-15 mm (cauline), widest at middle or in proximal 1/2.

blade round to pentagonal, 3-15 × 6-22 cm, ± puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-9, width 8-30 mm.

Inflorescences

4-25(-36)-flowered;

pedicel spreading from rachis at usually less than 70°, 1-4(-8) cm, glabrous to glandular;

bracteoles 3-12(-23) mm from flowers, blue to green, linear, 3-8(-16) mm, glabrous to glandular.

25-100(-more)-flowered;

pedicel 1-3(-5) cm, glabrous to pubescent;

bracteoles 2-5(-9) mm from flowers, green, linear, 5-9 mm, ± puberulent.

Flowers

sepals dark blue, usually retaining color upon drying, glabrous, lateral sepals reflexed, (6-)10-15(-20) × 4-8 mm, spurs straight, ascending ca. 30° above horizontal, 8-18 mm;

lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 3-6(-8) mm, clefts 1-3 mm;

hairs centered on base of cleft or on inner lobes, scattered, white, rarely yellow.

sepals blue, white, or purple, ± puberulent, lateral sepals spreading, 12-23 × 4-12 mm, spurs straight, ascending ca. 45° above horizontal, 15-22 mm;

lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 0.2-1 mm;

hairs sparse or dense, mostly near center of blade, yellow or white.

Fruits

12-23 mm, 3.3-3.6 times longer than wide, glabrous or puberulent.

13-20 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, ± puberulent.

Seeds

unwinged;

seed coats ± pitted, cell surfaces roughened.

winged;

seed coats ± with small wavy ridges, cells elongate, surface roughened.

Delphinium patens

Delphinium elatum

Phenology

Flowering summer, more than 8 weeks after snowmelt.

Habitat

Old homesites

Elevation

50-3000 m (200-9800 ft)

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

BC; MB; SK; and probably elsewhere; native to Europe and w Asia [Introduced in North America]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Delphinium elatum is cultivated as a garden plant or for cut flowers. It is not known to be naturalized extensively in North America; it may persist long after cultivation in cooler parts of the region.

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

Key

1. Lobes of proximal cauline leaves usually more than 15 mm wide; basal and proximal cauline leaves rarely cleft more than 4/5 radius of blade.	subsp. hepaticoideum
1. Lobes of proximal cauline leaves usually less than 15 mm wide; basal and proximal cauline leaves usually cleft more than 4/5 radius of blade.	→ 2
2. Pedicels puberulent, usually glandular; most leaf blades with more than 7 ultimate lobes.	subsp. montanum
2. Pedicels usually glabrous; most leaf blades with fewer than 7 ultimate lobes.	subsp. patens

Source

FNA vol. 3.

Parent taxa

Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Grumosa

Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Elatopsis > subsect. Elata

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. 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. 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

Subordinate taxa

D. patens subsp. hepaticoideum, D. patens subsp. montanum, D. patens subsp. patens

Name authority

Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 296. (1849)

Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 531. (1753)

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

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