Flora of North America species comparison

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Delphinium uliginosum

Delphinium bicolor

swamp larkspur

Flathead larkspur, little larkspur, low larkspur, Montana larkspur

Stems

10-30(-70) cm;

base reddish or not, nearly glabrous.

10-40(-70) cm;

base often reddish, glabrous to puberulent.

Leaves

blade obdeltoid, apically several parted, 1-8 × 1-7 cm, ± fleshy, glabrous; ultimate lobes 0-3, width 3-20 mm (cauline only);

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

blade round, 1-4 × 1.5-7 cm, glabrous to puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-19, width 1-8 mm (basal), 1-3 mm (cauline).

Inflorescences

5-20(-48)-flowered, ± open;

pedicel 0.3-3(-10) cm, glabrous to puberulent;

bracteoles 2-3(-5) mm from flowers, green to blue, lanceolate-linear, 3-4(-7) mm, puberulent.

3-12(-22)-flowered;

pedicel 1-4(-8) cm, ± puberulent;

bracteoles 2-7(-17) mm from flowers, green, sometimes white-margined, lanceolate, 4-6(-8) mm, puberulent.

Flowers

sepals dark blue, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals spreading, 9-15 × 5-8 mm, spurs usually upcurved, ascending 30-45° above horizontal, 10-14 mm;

lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-5 mm, clefts 2-3 mm;

hairs centered, densest on inner lobe above base of cleft, also on margins, white.

sepals dark blue, puberulent, lateral sepals usually spreading, 16-21 × 6-12 mm, spurs straight to gently decurved, ascending 0-40° above horizontal, 13-23 mm;

lower petal blades covering stamens, 7-12 mm, clefts 0.1-3 mm;

hairs sparse, short, mostly on inner lobes below junction of blade and claw, white or yellow.

Fruits

10-18 mm, 4.1-4.5 times longer than wide, puberulent.

(12-)16-22 mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, usually puberulent.

Seeds

seed coat cells with surfaces bumpy or wavy.

often winged;

seed coat cells with surfaces ± smooth.

= 16.

Delphinium uliginosum

Delphinium bicolor

Phenology

Flowering late spring–early summer.

Habitat

Serpentine streamsides, chaparral, grassland

Elevation

400-600 m (1300-2000 ft)

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

ID; MT; ND; NE; SD; WY; AB; BC; SK

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Although some populations are large, Delphinium uliginosum is very local. Hybrids with D. hesperium subsp. pallescens have been seen.

Delphinium uliginosum is a very distinctive species, not likely to be confused with any other. The fan-shaped, slightly dissected leaves are apparently unique in the genus.

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

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Delphinium bicolor is closely related to D. glareosum; it differs in its wider-lobed cauline leaves, shallower petal clefts, and narrower fruits.

The Gosiute consider this plant to be poisonous (D. E. Moerman 1986, subspecies not specified).

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

Key

1. Sepals (especially in fresh material) dark blue to purple; cleft in lower petals 2 mm or less; soils not derived from limestone.	subsp. bicolor
1. Sepals (especially in fresh material) bright dark blue; cleft in lower petals at least 2 mm; soils derived from limestone.	subsp. calcicola

Source

FNA vol. 3.

Parent taxa

Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Depauperata

Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Bicoloria

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. 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. 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

Subordinate taxa

D. bicolor subsp. bicolor, D. bicolor subsp. calcicola

Name authority

Curran: Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 151. (1885)

Nuttall: J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 7: 10. (1834)

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, OregonFlora

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