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Delphinium alpestre

(Colorado Larkspur)

Overview

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Threatened
Threat status

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Alpine Larkspur, Colorado Larkspur

Description

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Family Ranunculaceae

Herbs perennial or annual , sometimes subshrubs or herbaceous or woody vines . Leaves basal and cauline, alternate, rarely opposite or whorled , simple or variously compound , palmately nerved, rarely penninerved , with or without stipules. Inflorescence a simple or compound monochasium, dichasium, simple or compound raceme, or flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual , sometimes unisexual , actinomorphic , rarely zygomorphic, hypogynous. Sepals 3--6 or more, free , petaloid or sepaloid , imbricate or sometimes valvate in bud. Petals present or absent, 2--8 or more, free, usually with nectaries. Stamens numerous , rarely few, free; filaments linear or filiform ; anthers latrorse , introrse , or extrorse ; sometimes some sterile stamens becoming staminodes. Carpels numerous or few, rarely 1, free, rarely connate to various degrees ; ovary with 1 to many ovules. Fruit follicles or achenes, rarely capsules or berries . Seeds small, with abundant endosperm and minute embryo.

About 60 genera and 2500 species: worldwide, but richly represented in N temperate regions , particularly in E Asia; 38 genera (four endemic) and 921 species (604 endemic) in China.[1]

Genus Delphinium

Herbs, perennial , from fasciculate roots or rhizomes. Leaves basal and/or cauline, petiolate , petioles gradually to abruptly shorter on distal leaves; basal leaves usually larger than cauline; cauline leaves alternate. Leaf blade deeply palmately divided , round to pentagonal or reniform , margins entire or lobes apically crenate or lacerate , lobes of basal blades wider and fewer than those of cauline blades. Inflorescences terminal , 2-100(-more) -flowered racemes (occasionally branched, thus technically panicles), 5-40 cm or more; bracts subtending inflorescence branches; pedicels present or absent; bracteoles (on pedicels) subopposite-subalternate, not forming involucre. Flowers bisexual , bilaterally symmetric ; sepals not persistent in fruit, 5; upper sepal 1, spurred , 8-24 mm; lateral sepals 2, ± ovate to elliptic , 8-18 mm; lower sepals 2, similar to lateral sepals; upper petals 2, spurred, enclosed in upper sepal, nectary inside tip of spur; lower petals 2, plane , ± ovate, ± 2-lobed, clawed, 2-12 mm, nectary absent; stamens 25-40; filaments with base expanded; staminodes absent between stamens and pistils; pistils 3(-5), simple ; ovules 8-20 per pistil; style present. Fruits follicles, aggregate, sessile, ± curved-cylindric, sides prominently veined or not; beak terminal, straight, 2-4 mm. Seeds dark brown to black (often appearing white because of air in seed coat cells ), rectangular to pyramidal , often ± rough surfaced. x = 8.

Species ca. 300: n temperate and arctic subtropical and, in Eastern Hemisphere, tropical mountains (s of equator in Africa) .

Three Eurasian species of Delphinium -- D . elatum Linnaeus, D . grandiflorum Linnaeus, and D . tatsienense Franchet--have been commonly cultivated in North America. Of the nonnative taxa, only D . elatum is sporadically naturalized , as far as is known. Isolating mechanisms in Delphinium appear to be primarily ecological, geographic, and/or temporal . Where these distinctions are disrupted, introgression often exists. Hybridization occurs regularly between certain taxa, particularly in areas of disturbance (e.g. , roadcuts, drainage ditches, clearcuts) . The more common and easily recognized hybrids are included in the key .

Many names have been misapplied in Delphinium . The few misapplied names mentioned in discussions below refer to relatively widespread problems.[2]

Physical Description

Species Delphinium alpestre

Stems 5-25 cm; base green, puberulent . Leaves cauline, 5-20, on proximal 1/5 of stem at anthesis ; petiole 1-10 cm. Leaf blade round to pentagonal , 1.5-5 × 2-5 cm, puberulent; ultimate lobes 3-15, width 2-11 mm. Inflorescences 2-8-flowered; pedicel 1-4 cm, puberulent; bracteoles 1-3 mm from flowers, green, linear-lanceolate, 6-10 mm, puberulent. Flowers: sepals dark blue, apex rounded , puberulent, lateral sepals spreading to forward pointing, 11-14 × 5-7 mm, spurs straight except usually slightly down-curved at apex, varying from 20° above to 20° below horizontal, 8-12 mm; lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 4-6 mm, clefts 2-4 mm; hairs sparse, mostly near base of cleft, centered on inner lobes, white. Fruits 7-12 mm, 3.5-4 times longer than wide, puberulent. Seeds unwinged; seed coat cells elongate , surface roughened. [source]

Delphinium alpestre is very similar to D. ramosum, possibly divergent from that taxon only since the most recent glaciation of North America, during which ancestors of D. alpestre might have survived on peaks above the ice, while ancestors of D. ramosum survived in valleys below the ice. Since glaciation, D. ramosum apparently has migrated upslope, near but not adjoining populations of D. alpestre. [source]

Habit: Forb/herb

Flowers: The flower has five petals which grow together to form a hollow flower with a spur at the end. Blooms in late spring to late summer. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. • Bloom Period: July. • Flower Color: dark blue

Foliage: Deeply lobed with 3-7 toothed , pointed lobes .

Size/Age/Growth

Size: under 6" tall.

Landscaping

Care: Deer resistant. Heat tolerant . Use slug bait as needed. Work bone meal around the plants . Treat mildew with a mildew spray or dusting sulfur. When flowers fade, cut spikes just above foliage , leaving a foot of old stem.

Habitat

Exposed talus slopes on high peaks; of conservation concern; (3400-)3800 m and above[3].

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 12-15" apart. Allow seedheads to dry on plant before collection . Propate from seed by directly sowing outdoors in fall or using a coldframe or unheated greenhouse in winter. Finish planting by mid-April.

Soil: Prefers cool, rich, moist soil with a summer mulch. Needs good winter drainage .

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade.

Moisture: Water Requirements: Irrigate flowering plants freely at their base . Sprinkling may cause mildew .

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 3a, 3b, 4a, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Delphinium ramosum Rydberg var. alpestre (Rydberg) W. A. Weber
  2. Delphinium ramosum var. alpestre (Rydb.) W. A. Weber

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Delphinium

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 1488 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

D. 'A.J. Moir' · D. 'Abendleuchten' · D. abietorum · D. aconiti · D. aconitifolium · D. aconitioides · D. actaea · D. acuminatissimum · D. acutilobum · D. addendum · D. aemulans · D. aff. crassifolium · D. afghanicum · D. 'After Midnight' · D. ageratum · D. 'Agnes Brookes' · D. 'Ailsa' · D. aitchisonii · D. ajacis · D. ajacis 'Lonnies' (Rocket Larkspur) · D. ajaus · D. aktoense · D. alabamicum (Alabama Larkspur) · D. alatum · D. albescens · D. albiflorum · D. albocoeruleum · D. albocoeruleum var. przewalskii · D. albomarginatum · D. 'Alice Artindale' · D. 'Alie Duyvensteyn' · D. 'Alison Claire' · D. alpestre (Colorado Larkspur) · D. 'Alphonse Karr' · D. alpinum · D. altaicum · D. altissimum · D. amabile · D. amabile amabile · D. amabile clarianum · D. amabile var. amabile · D. 'Amadeus' · D. amani · D. ambiguum · D. 'Ambrose Woods' · D. americanum · D. amoenum · D. 'Amos Perry' · D. 'Amour' · D. amplibracteatum · D. anatolicum · D. andersoni · D. andersonii (Anderson´s Larkspur) · D. andersonii var. andersonii (Anderson´s Larkspur) · D. andersoni andersoni · D. andersoni cognatum · D. andersoni var. andersoni · D. andersoni var. cognatum · D. andesicola (Chiricahua Mountains Larkspur) · D. andesicola amplum (Chiricahua Mountain Larkspur) · D. andesicola andesicola (Chiricahua Mountain Larkspur) · D. 'Angela Harbutt' · D. angustipaniculatum · D. angustirhombicum · D. 'Anne Kenrick' · D. 'Anne Page' · D. 'Ann Woodfield' · D. anomalum · D. 'Antares' · D. anthoroideum · D. anthriscifolium · D. antoninum (Anthony Peak Larkspur) · D. antonium · D. apetalum · D. 'Aphrodite' · D. apiculatum · D. 'Apollo' · D. araraticum · D. arcuatum · D. 'Ariel' · D. armeniacum · D. 'Astolat' (Delphinium) · D. Astolat Group · D. 'Atholl' · D. atropurpureum · D. attenuatum · D. aucheri · D. 'Audrey Mott' · D. 'Augenweide' · D. austriacum · D. autumnale · D. Avon strain · D. axilliflorum · D. azureum · D. 'Baby Doll' · D. bakeri (Baker´s Larkspur) · D. balansae · D. balcanicum · D. baoshanense · D. 'Barbara Nason'

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 28, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Wencai Wang, Dezhi Fu, Liang-Qian Li, Bruce Bartholomew, Anthony R. Brach, Bryan E. Dutton, Michael G. Gilbert, Yuichi Kadota, Orbélia R. Robinson, Michio Tamura, Michael J. Warnock, Guanghua Zhu & Svetlana N. Ziman "Ranunculaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 6 Page 133. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Michael J. Warnock "Delphinium". in Flora of North America Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. "Delphinium alpestre". in Flora of North America Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/2/2009