Delphinium californicum

Torrey & A. Gray

Fl. N. Amer. 1: 31. 1838.

Endemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 3.

Stems (60-) 100-160 (-230) cm; base reddish, puberulent-glabrous. Leaves cauline, 6-20, absent from proximal 1/5 of stem at anthesis; petiole 0.5-7 cm. Leaf-blade pentagonal to round, 3-9 × 3-12 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-15, width 5-60 mm; midcauline leaf lobes less than 3 times longer than wide. Inflorescences (16-) 40-90 (-162) -flowered; pedicel 0.5-2.5 (-6.5) cm, puberulent; bracteoles 2-5 mm from flowers, reddish, linear, (3-) 7-12 (-15) mm, puberulent. Flowers: sepals lavender to greenish white, abaxially puberulent, lateral sepals forward pointing to form a pseudotube, 6-11 × 5-7 mm, spurs straight, slightly ascending, apically downcurved, 7-11 (-14) mm; lower petal blades elevated, ± exposing stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 1.5-2.5 mm; hairs covering adaxial surface, white or light yellow. Fruits 11-16 mm, 2.5-3.5 times longer than wide, glabrous to sparsely puberulent. Seeds unwinged; seed-coat cells elongate, surfaces ± roughened.

Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Delphinium californicum can be confused only with D. glaucum or D. exaltatum. The three species may be separated by the abundant pubescence and early flowering date of D. californicum as compared to the other two taxa, low elevation sites of D. californicum compared to D. glaucum, and western geographic distribution of D. californicum compared to D. exaltatum.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Sepals lavender; inflorescences puberulent; upper petals hairy. Delphinium californicum subsp. californicum
1 Sepals greenish white; inflorescences nearly glabrous; upper petals glabrous. Delphinium californicum subsp. interius
... more about "Delphinium californicum"
Michael J. Warnock +
Torrey & A. Gray +
usually larger +
puberulent-glabrous +
not narrowed +
expanded +
straight +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
subopposite-subalternate +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (?) +
globose;cylindric +
elongate +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
sessile +  and pedicellate +
showy +  and inconspicuous +
cylindric +
glabrous +  and sparsely puberulent +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br />) +
sessile +  and aggregate +
curved-cylindric +
light yellow;white +
(16-)40-90(-162)-flowered +
axillary +  and terminal +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
less ovate +  and elliptic +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br />) +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
pentagonal +  and round +
whorled +, opposite +  and alternate +
smaller +, slightly below middle slightly below middle internodes +  and largest +
lacerate;crenate +
clawed +, 2-lobed +, ovate +  and plane +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
palmate +  and pinnate +
incised;toothed;incised;toothed;entire +
reduced +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (6.5 cm65 mm <br />0.065 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
distinct +
conspicuous +
spurred +, funnel--shaped +, cup-shaped +  and plane +
reduced +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
Fl. N. Amer. +
2-100-flowered +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
twisted +  and 4-15-branched +
tuberlike +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (80 cm800 mm <br />0.8 m <br />) +
dark-brown +  and black +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
not ringed +
rectangular +  and crescent-shaped +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
lavender;greenish white +
not persistent +
distinct +
3 +  and 6 +
not +  and veined +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br />) +
straight +
downcurved +  and ascending +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
160 cm1,600 mm <br />1.6 m <br /> (230 cm2,300 mm <br />2.3 m <br />) +
3 +  and 8 +
100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br /> (160 cm1,600 mm <br />1.6 m <br />) +
persistent +
Delphinium californicum +
Delphinium subsect. Exaltata +
species +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br />) +
herbaceous +  and woody +