Delphinium alpestre

Rydberg

Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 29: 146. 1902.

Common names: Alpine larkspur
Conservation concernEndemic
Synonyms: Delphinium ramosum var. alpestre (Rydberg) W. A. Weber
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 3.

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 downcurved 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.


Phenology: Flowering mid-late summer.
Habitat: Exposed talus slopes on high peaks
Elevation: (3400-)3800 m and above

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

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.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Delphinium alpestre"
puberulent +
rounded +
Michael J. Warnock +
Rydberg +
usually larger +
puberulent +
not narrowed +
expanded +
straight +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
subopposite-subalternate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
linear-lanceolate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (?) +
globose;cylindric +
elongate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
Alpine larkspur +
Colo. +  and N.Mex. +
(3400-)3800 m and above +
sessile +  and pedicellate +
showy +  and inconspicuous +
cylindric +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
sessile +  and aggregate +
curved-cylindric +
Exposed talus slopes on high peaks +
axillary +  and terminal +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br />) +
pointing +  and spreading to forward +
less ovate +  and elliptic +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
round +  and pentagonal +
whorled +, opposite +  and alternate +
smaller +, slightly below middle slightly below middle internodes +  and largest +
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 +
reduced +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
distinct +
conspicuous +
spurred +, funnel--shaped +, cup-shaped +  and plane +
reduced +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
Flowering mid-late summer. +
Bull. Torrey Bot. Club +
2-100-flowered +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
twisted +  and 4-15-branched +
tuberlike +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (80 cm800 mm <br />0.8 m <br />) +
dark-brown +  and black +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
not ringed +
rectangular +  and crescent-shaped +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
not persistent +
distinct +
3 +  and 6 +
not +  and veined +
Conservation concern +  and Endemic +
straight +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
3 +  and 8 +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
persistent +
Delphinium ramosum var. alpestre +
Delphinium alpestre +
Delphinium subsect. Exaltata +
species +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br />) +
herbaceous +  and woody +