The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California

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Names are linked to treatments from the Manual


Key to DELPHINIUM

N.B.: couplets are linked, e.g., 1. is linked to 1'.

  1. Plant with all the following: sepals pink to deep rosy-pink; pedicel hairs glandular, yellow; fruit erect; pedicels ± ascending; angle between claw and blade on lower petals > 130°
D. purpusii
  1' Plant with at least one exception to the characters in 1.
 
    2. Leaf blade base tapered
D. uliginosum
    2' Leaf blade base cordate, truncate, or rounded
 
      3. Sepals ± red or yellow; angle between claw and blade of lower petals 140–180°, blade hairs 0 or obscure to naked eye
 
        4. Seed without inflated collar; fruit ± straight; plants of ± dry sites; Inner South Coast Ranges & s — sepals red
D. cardinale
        4' Seed with inflated collar at widest end: fruit curved; plants of moist sites; Outer South Coast Ranges & n
 
          5. Sepals bright yellow, not red — n Central Coast
D. luteum
          5' Sepals scarlet to orange-red, rarely yellow but not brightly so
D. nudicaule
      3' Sepals not red or yellow (sometimes maroon or pink); blade of lower petal angled 60–130° to claw, its hairs apparent to naked eye
 
        6. Plant with all the following: inflorescence ± 1-sided; flower generally on and after 15 June; > 1900 m; stem generally < 40 cm; pedicels ascending; seed winged, without inflated collar at widest end; root < 5 cm — n&c High Sierra Nevada, Warner Mountains
D. depauperatum
        6' Plant with two or more exceptions to the characters in 6.
 
          7. Stem base generally much narrower than adjacent root, attachment not firm; seed with inflated collar at widest end, unwinged; inflorescence in mid-flower generally with < 6 flowers on main axis or oldest open-flowered pedicels generally > 25 mm and > 2 × youngest; fruit curved
 
            8. Sepals ± maroon; plants within populations generally dissimilar, often ± infertile
 
              9. Leaf segments 5 or fewer, > 5 mm wide
D. nudicaule × decorum
              9' Leaf segments > 5, generally < 5 mm wide
D. nudicaule × depauperatum
            8' Sepals not maroon; plants within populations generally similar, generally ± fertile
 
              10. Most leaves on upper 1/3 of stem; stem generally > 50 cm; flowers on main inflorescence axis generally > 15 — leaf lobe > 1 cm at widest point
 
                11. Sepals pinkish to light blue
D. trolliifolium × nudicaule
                11' Sepals dark blue
 
                  12. Leaf lobe tips crenate; n Central Coast, n San Francisco Bay Area (Sonoma Co.) —pedicels ± glandular
D. bakeri
                  12' Leaf lobe tips sharply, irregularly cut; North Coast, Outer North Coast Ranges (n of Sonoma Co.)
D. trolliifolium
              10' Most leaves on lower 1/3 of stem; stem generally < 50 cm; flowers on main inflorescence axis often < 20
 
                13. Root > 10 cm, fibrous, not clustered, not spheric — leaf lobes generally > 7; stem glabrous; Northwestern California
 
                  14. Sepals blue — leaves ± fleshy; talus, 1100–2600 m
D. antoninum
                  14' Sepals pinkish
 
                    15. Population with some blue but not red flowers; generally > 1500 m
D. antoninum × nudicaule
                    15' Population with some red but not blue flowers; < 1500 m
D. nudicaule × trolliifolium
                13' Root < 10 cm, clustered, ± spheric
 
                  16. Sepals dark blue-purple (often faded, mottled on herbarium specimens), puberulent outside, generally not reflexed; lower stem hairy; lower petal blade generally > 6 mm — spur 13–20 mm; stem < 45 cm
D. decorum
                    17. Leaf with generally 5 lobes that extend > 50% to petiole; < 200 m
subsp. decorum
                    17' Leaf with 6 or more lobes that extend > 50% to petiole; > 700 m
subsp. tracyi
                  16' Sepals generally bright blue to white or pink (generally not faded, not mottled on herbarium specimens), generally glabrous, often reflexed (if sepals purplish and puberulent outside and not reflexed, then lower stem ± glabrous or lower petal blade < 6 mm)
 
                    18. Leaf with 6 or more lobes that extend > 50% to petiole, these < 7 mm wide; pedicels glabrous or puberulent; High Sierra Nevada & n
D. nuttallianum
                    18' Leaf with 5 or fewer lobes that extend > 50% to petiole (if > 5, then pedicels puberulent, plants of s Sierra Nevada and s), these often > 7 mm wide
 
                      19. Terminal leaf lobe widest above middle; pedicel spreading at 70–90° angle; leaf lobes generally 5; Sierra Nevada
D. gracilentum
                      19' Terminal leaf lobe widest near middle; pedicel spreading at generally < 70° angle; leaf lobes 3–many; not Sierra Nevada
D. patens
                        20. Lobes of lower leaves generally > 1.5 cm wide; basal, lower cauline leaves generally divided < 80% to petiole — Outer South Coast Ranges, Southwestern California (except Channel Islands)
subsp. hepaticoideum
                        20' Lobes of lower leaves generally < 1.5 cm wide; basal (if present), lower cauline leaves generally divided > 80% to petiole
 
                          21. Pedicels puberulent, generally glandular; Southwestern California
subsp. montanum
                          21' Pedicels generally glabrous; not Southwestern California
 
                            22. Hairs of lower petals white
subsp. patens
                            22' Hairs of lower petals yellow
D. patens × decorum
          7' Stem base generally ± as wide as adjacent root, attachment firm; seed without inflated collar at widest end, winged or not; inflorescence in mid-flower with generally > 6 flowers on main axis or oldest open-flowered pedicel generally < 25 mm or < 2 × youngest; fruit ± straight
 
            23. Root > 15 cm, generally with enlarged, whitish (brown on herbarium specimens) buds; stems generally > 1 m, often 2 or more per root system
 
              24. Flowers rare after 30 June; sepals ± lavender or greenish white; < 1200 m
D. californicum
                25. Sepals ± lavender; main inflorescence axis puberulent; upper petals ± hairy
subsp. californicum
                25' Sepals greenish white; main inflorescence axis glabrous; upper petals ± glabrous
subsp. interius
              24' Flowers rare before 1 July; sepals generally bluish (if ± lavender or greenish white, then > 1200 m), sometimes canescent
 
                26. Leaves present on lower 20% of stem in flower
 
                  27. Flower spur 9–12 mm; sepals white to light blue
D. inopinum
                  27' Flower spur 11–22 mm; sepals dark blue
D. polycladon
                26' Leaves generally 0 on lower 20% of stem in flower
 
                  28. Sepals purplish blue, outer surface midline not lighter; lower stem glaucous; Klamath Ranges, High Sierra Nevada, San Gabriel Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains
D. glaucum
                  28' Sepals ± bright blue, outer surface midline lighter due to hairs; lower stem puberulent; Warner Mountains
D. stachydeum
            23' Root < 15 cm (if larger, then enlarged buds 0); stems generally < 1 m, generally 1 per root system
 
              29. Some hairs of lower petioles > 0.5 mm, white, straight, spreading — seeds unwinged
 
                30. Seeds finely prickly, fuzzy to naked eye; lateral sepals 7–13 mm; flowers generally > 12 on main inflorescence axis
D. hansenii
                  31. Sepals violet-purple to maroon — Sierra Nevada Foothills, SnJv
subsp. ewanianum
                  31' Sepals dark blue-purple to white or pink
 
                    32. Basal leaves generally 0 in flower; cauline leaves 3 or more; Sierra Nevada, Cascade Range Foothills, Inner North Coast Ranges, Sacramento Valley
subsp. hansenii
                    32' Basal leaves present but sometimes dry in flower (thus 0 on herbarium specimens); cauline leaves generally 2 or fewer; s Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi Mountain Area
subsp. kernense
                30' Seeds not prickly, not fuzzy to naked eye; lateral sepals 10–25 mm; flowers generally < 12 on main inflorescence axis
 
                  33. Hairs on margin of lower petal blades 0; sepal spur generally downcurved for > 3 mm at tip — Central Coast (c Monterey Co.)
D. hutchinsoniae
                  33' Hairs on margin of lower petal blades present; sepal spur straight or downcurved for < 3 mm at tip
D. variegatum
                    34. Plant of mainland — sepals generally dark royal blue, rarely white or lavender
subsp. variegatum
                    34' Plant of islands
 
                      35. Sepals white to light blue
subsp. kinkiense
                      35' Sepals bright blue
subsp. thornei
              29' Hairs of lower petioles 0–0.5 mm, or curved, or both (if some > 0.5 mm and straight, then plant of Northwestern California or San Francisco Bay Area and seeds winged)
 
                36. Inner lobes of lower petals hairier than outer; lower stem ± striate — lateral sepals < 16 mm; seeds winged; sepals not reflexed; pedicels ascending at < 45° angle; Northwestern California, Central Western California, Great Central Valley, Peninsular Ranges
D. hesperium
                  37. Lateral sepals < or = 4 mm wide; Peninsular Ranges
subsp. cuyamacae
                  37' Lateral sepals > 4 mm wide; n of Transverse Ranges
 
                    38. Sepals dark blue-purple
subsp. hesperium
                    38' Sepals white to pinkish or light blue
subsp. pallescens
                36' Lobes of lower petals equally as hairy; lower stem not striate
 
                  39. Seed coat cell margins wavy (barely visible at 10× when held up to light); fruit generally < or = 3× longer than wide; desert, grassland (sometimes with scattered trees), shrubland; Great Central Valley, s Sierra Nevada Foothills, Tehachapi Mountain Area, Transverse Ranges, East of Sierra Nevada, Desert
 
                    40. Sepals rarely reflexed; stem generally > 60 cm; grasslands, open woodlands — sepals white or light pink to light blue
 
                      41. Sepals light blue
D. parryi × D. gypsophilum subsp. parviflorum
                      41' Sepals white to light pink
D. gypsophilum
                        42. Lower petal blades 5–8 mm; lateral sepals generally > 10 mm; pedicels generally > 1 cm apart on inflorescence axis
subsp. gypsophilum
                        42' Lower petal blades 3–4 mm; lateral sepals generally < 10 mm; pedicels generally < 1 cm apart on inflorescence axis
subsp. parviflorum
                    40' Sepals, especially lateral, often reflexed; stem generally < 60 cm; deserts or shrublands, rarely grasslands
 
                      43. Plant of fine, alkaline soil; sepals generally light blue; lower petals white; Great Central Valley
D. recurvatum
                      43' Plant of often coarse, not very alkaline soil; sepals ± sky or dark blue to white or pink; lower petals same color as sepals; Desert and adjacent areas
D. parishii
                        44. Sepals ± sky blue, lateral sepals reflexed
subsp. parishii
                        44' Sepals dark blue or white to pink or blue but not sky blue, lateral sepals not reflexed
 
                          45. Flowers rare before 20 May; sepals white to pink or blue; Western Transverse Ranges
subsp. pallidum
                          45' Flowers rare after 20 May; sepals dark blue; w Sonoran Desert
subsp. subglobosum
                  39' Seed coat cell margins straight (barely visible at 10× when held up to light); fruit generally > 3× longer than wide; shrubland in Great Basin Floristic Province; chaparral, woodland, or forest in Central Western California, Southwestern California, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada
 
                    46. Green leaves generally present on lower 20% of stem in flower; lower stem and petioles ± glabrous
 
                      47. Root > 7 cm; lobes of lower leaves < 4 mm wide; lateral sepals rarely reflexed; not in broadleafed woodlands; ne High Sierra Nevada, Great Basin Floristic Province
D. andersonii
                      47' Root < 7 cm; lobes of lower leaves generally > 4 mm wide; lateral sepals reflexed; generally in broadleafed woodlands; Outer South Coast Ranges, Western Transverse Ranges
D. umbraculorum
                    46' Green leaves generally 0 on lower 20% of stem in flower (if present, then lower stem, or petioles, or both with short, curled hairs) — Central Western California, Southwestern California, Tehachapi Mountain Area
 
                      48. Lobes of lower leaves generally > 5 mm wide; > 10 km inland; > 400 m
D. umbraculorum × parryi
                      48' Lobes of lower leaves < 5 mm wide (or plant from < 10 km inland or < 400 m)
D. parryi
                        49. Basal leaves generally 0 in flower
 
                          50. Lateral sepals generally > 16 mm
subsp. blochmaniae
                          50' Lateral sepals < 16 mm
subsp. parryi
                        49' Basal leaves generally present in flower
 
                          51. Plant from > 700 m
subsp. purpureum
                          51' Plant from < 700 m
 
                            52. Sepals generally reflexed
subsp. eastwoodiae
                            52' Sepals generally spreading
subsp. maritimum


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