Delphinium luteum

A. Heller

Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 6: 68. 1903.

Common names: Yellow larkspur
Conservation concernEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 3.

Stems 20-40 (-55) cm; base often reddish, nearly glabrous. Leaves mostly on proximal 1/4 of stem; basal leaves 4-9 at anthesis; cauline leaves 2-4 at anthesis; petiole 0.5-6 cm. Leaf-blade round to pentagonal, 1-5 × 2-10 cm, nearly glabrous; ultimate lobes 3-5, width 8-30 mm (basal), 5-15 mm (cauline). Inflorescences 5-25 (-37) -flowered; pedicel (1-) 3-5 (-7) cm, puberulent; bracteoles 6-10 (-17) mm from flowers, green, linear-lanceolate, 6-7 mm, nearly glabrous. Flowers: sepals bright-yellow, puberulent, appearing waxy, lateral sepals ± forward pointing, (11-) 14-16 × (6-) 9-13 mm, spur straight, ca. 30° below horizontal, 11-20 mm; lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, 3-4 mm, clefts 0.5-1.5 mm; hairs sparse or absent, ± evenly distributed if present, white to yellow. Fruits 11-14 mm, 3.5-4.5 times longer than wide, glabrous. Seeds unwinged; seed-coat cell surfaces smooth.


Phenology: Flowering late winter-mid spring.
Habitat: Wet cliffs, coastal grassland or chaparral
Elevation: 0-50 m

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Delphinium luteum is presently known from only three populations. It is known to hybridize with D. decorum and with D. nudicaule. Populations of D. hesperium subsp. hesperium also occur at the type locality; D. luteum flowers earlier and hybrids are not known.

Delphinium luteum is not likely to be mistaken for any other species of Delphinium. It has been treated as a variety of D. nudicaule and is closely related to that species. Sepals of the infrequent yellow-flowered phase of D. nudicaule, however, have a much drabber appearance compared with the bright shining yellow of the sepals in D. luteum.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"/" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Delphinium luteum"
Michael J. Warnock +
A. Heller +
usually larger +
narrowed +
expanded +
Delphinium sect. Bicoloria +
straight +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
smaller +
subopposite-subalternate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br />) +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
linear-lanceolate +
minute +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (?) +
globose;cylindric +
elongate +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
Yellow larkspur +
0-50 m +
sessile +  and pedicellate +
showy +  and inconspicuous +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br />) +
sessile +  and aggregate +
curved-cylindric +
Wet cliffs, coastal grassland or chaparral +
distributed +
white;yellow +
5-25(-37)-flowered +
axillary +  and terminal +
less ovate +  and elliptic +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
round +  and pentagonal +
whorled +, opposite +  and alternate +
cauline +  and basal +
reduced +
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 +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
distinct +
conspicuous +
spurred +, funnel--shaped +, cup-shaped +  and plane +
reduced +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
Flowering late winter-mid spring. +
Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. +
2-100-flowered +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
braided +  and 2-9-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 />) +
diffuse-fibrous +
dark-brown +  and black +
0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br /> (0.29 cm2.9 mm <br />0.0029 m <br />) +
obpyramidal +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.19 cm1.9 mm <br />0.0019 m <br />) +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br />) +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
bright-yellow +
not persistent +
distinct +
3 +  and 6 +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
not +  and veined +
Conservation concern +  and Endemic +
straight +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br /> (55 cm550 mm <br />0.55 m <br />) +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
persistent +
Delphinium luteum +
Delphinium subsect. Bicoloria +
species +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br />) +
herbaceous +  and woody +