Delphinium californicum
Fl. N. Amer. 1: 31. 1838.
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 |