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Delphinium exaltatum

(Tall Larkspur)

Overview

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Vulnerable
Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Tall 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 exaltatum

Stems 70-200 cm; base reddish, nearly glabrous . Leaves cauline, 7-24, absent from proximal 1/5 of stem at anthesis ; petiole 1-15 cm. Leaf blade pentagonal , 2-7 × 3-9 cm, puberulent ; ultimate lobes 3-7, width 5-25 mm; midcauline leaf lobes less than 3 times longer than wide. Inflorescences 8-30-flowered; pedicel 0.5-2 cm, puberulent; bracteoles 2-4 mm from flowers, green, linear , 2-4 mm, puberulent. Flowers: sepals whitish to pale lavender or purple, puberulent, lateral sepals forward pointing, 9-11 × 4-6 mm, spurs straight, as much as 45° above or below horizontal, 9-12 mm; lower petal blades ± covering stamens, 3-5 mm, clefts 1-2 mm; hairs centered, mostly near base of cleft, white. Fruits 7-12 mm, 2-2.5 times longer than wide, ± puberulent. Seeds ± wing-margined; seed coat cells elongate , surfaces smooth . [source]

Habit: Forb/herb

Flowers: Spikes of spurred purple blue flowers attract butterflies. Blooms July, August, September. • Bloom Period: May, June, July. • Flower Color: purple

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

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 36-48" tall.

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: Cut flowers. • 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

Rocky slopes in open deciduous woods and barrens , mainly on calcareous substrates, also shale and mafic and ultramafic rocks; 150-2000 m [3].

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 6-9" apart.

Soil: Average to rich soil, moist/well-drained.

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Bright sun to deep shade. Prefers bright to deep shade.

Moisture: Water Requirements: Drought tolerant once established .

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 5b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Notes

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

Place of publication : Hort. kew. 2:244. 1789

Name verified on 22-Dec-2000 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 22-Dec-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 November 21, 2007:

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 exaltatum". in Flora of North America Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/1/2009