Delphinium gypsophilum

Ewan

Univ. Colorado Stud., Ser. D, Phys. Sci. 2: 189. 1945.

Endemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 3.

Stems (30-) 60-100 (-150) cm; base usually reddish, glabrous, glaucous. Leaves mostly cauline; basal leaves absent at anthesis; cauline leaves 3-7 at anthesis; petiole 2-10 cm. Leaf-blade round to pentagonal, 1.5-6 × 2-12 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-12, width 3-24 mm (basal), 1-8 mm (cauline). Inflorescences 15-30 (-64) -flowered, cylindric; pedicel spreading, (0.5-) 1.5-3.5 cm, glabrous; bracteoles 2-6 mm from flowers, green, linear, 2-5 mm, glabrous. Flowers: sepals rarely reflexed, white to pink, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals spreading, 7-19 × 3-10 mm, spurs straight to upcurved, ascending 30-45° above horizontal, 7-15 mm; lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 3-8 mm, clefts 1-4 mm; hairs centered near base of cleft, ± evenly distributed, white. Fruits 9-18 mm, 2.5-3.2 times longer than wide, puberulent. Seeds: seed-coat cells brick-shaped, cell margins undulate, surfaces roughened.

Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Delphinium gypsophilum is sometimes confused with D. hesperium subsp. pallescens, D. recurvatum, and the white-flowered phases of D. hansenii subsp. kernense. The echinate seeds and long-haired petioles of D. hansenii immediately distinguish it from D. gypsophilum, which has neither.

Delphinium gypsophilum is related, and similar in many respects, to D. recurvatum. The two may be distinguished morphologically by their sepals. Delphinium recurvatum has reflexed, blue sepals; those of D. gypsophilum are spreading and white, although they may change to light blue when dry. Plants of D. recurvatum normally are less than 60 cm; those of D. gypsophilum are usually more than 60 cm. Ecologically, D. recurvatum occupies level ground among shrubs, typically in alkaline valley bottoms; D. gypsophilum is found on well-drained hillsides among grasses and in chaparral and oak woodland.

From Delphinium hesperium subsp. pallescens, specimens of D. gypsophilum may be separated by their much more finely dissected leaves, with less surface area, stem base usually reddish, stems frequently glaucous proximally, undulate margins of seed coat cells, and absence of striations in stem base of dried specimens. In contrast, D. hesperium subsp. pallescens has leaves less dissected, with greater surface area, stem base rarely reddish, stem not glaucous proximally, seed coat cells with straight margins, and striations present on the proximal stem of dried specimens.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Lower petals 5–8 mm; lateral sepals 10 mm or more; pedicel usually more than 1 cm apart. Delphinium gypsophilum subsp. gypsophilum
1 Lower petals 3–5 mm; lateral sepals 10 mm or less; pedicel usually less than 1 cm apart. Delphinium gypsophilum subsp. parviflorum

"entire" is not a number."thin" is not a number.

... more about "Delphinium gypsophilum"
Michael J. Warnock +
usually larger +
glaucous +  and glabrous +
narrowed +
expanded +
straight +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
smaller +
subopposite-subalternate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
minute +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (?) +
globose;cylindric +
brick--shaped +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
showy +  and inconspicuous +
cylindric +  and narrowly pyramidal +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br />) +
sessile +  and aggregate +
curved-cylindric +
distributed +
15-30(-64)-flowered +
axillary +  and terminal +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.9 cm19 mm <br />0.019 m <br />) +
less ovate +  and elliptic +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
round +  and pentagonal +
whorled +, opposite +  and alternate +
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 +
smaller +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
distinct +
conspicuous +
spurred +, funnel--shaped +, cup-shaped +  and plane +
reduced +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
Univ. Colorado Stud., Ser. D, Phys. Sci. +
2-100-flowered +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
twisted +  and 3-8(-12)-branched +
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
tuberlike +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
brick--shaped +
wing-margined +
dark-brown +  and black +
0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br /> (0.33 cm3.3 mm <br />0.0033 m <br />) +
not ringed +
rectangular +  and crescent-shaped +
0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br /> (0.23 cm2.3 mm <br />0.0023 m <br />) +
thread-like +
not persistent +
distinct +
3 +  and 6 +
not +  and veined +
straight +
ascending +  and upcurved +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br /> (150 cm1,500 mm <br />1.5 m <br />) +
60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +
persistent +
Delphinium gypsophilum +
Delphinium subsect. Subscaposa +
species +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br />) +
herbaceous +  and woody +