Delphinium

Hairy delphinium Delphinium vestitum, from here.

Belongs within: Ranunculaceae.

Delphinium is a genus of perennial herbs bearing bilateral flowers with the upper sepals spurred (Hickman 1993).

Characters (from Hickman 1993): Perennial; root gen <10 cm, more or less fibrous or fleshy; buds generally obscure. Stem generally 1, erect, generally unbranched; base generally more or less as wide as root, generally firmly attached to root, generally more or less reddish or purplish. Leaves simple, basal and cauline, petioled; blades generally palmately lobed, deep lobes generally 3-5, generally <6 mm wide, generally also lobed; lower leaves generally dry, often absent in flower; cauline merging into bracts upward. Inflorescence a raceme or somewhat branched, terminal; flowers generally 10-25; pedicels generally more or less spreading. Flower bilateral; sepals 5, petal-like, generally spreading, generally more or less dark blue, uppermost spurred; petals 4, smaller than sepals, upper 2 with nectar-secreting spurs enclosed in uppermost sepal, lower 2 clawed, with blades generally 4-8 mm, notched, generally more or less perpendicular to claws, generally colored like sepals, generally obviously hairy; pistils 3(—5). Fruit an aggregate of 3(-5) erect follicles, generally 2.5-4x longer than wide. Seed dark brown to black, often appearing white, generally winged when immature, generally without inflated collar; coat cell margins generally straight.

<==Delphinium
    |--D. ajacis TG88
    |--D. andersonii [incl. D. andersonii ssp. cognatum, D. decorum ssp. nevadense] H93
    |--D. anthriscifolium WC00
    |    |--D. a. var. anthriscifolium WC00
    |    `--D. a. var. savatieri (Franch.) Munz. 1967 WC00
    |--D. antoninum H93
    |--D. bakeri H93
    |--D. brunonianum O88
    |--D. caeruleum O88
    |--D. californicum H93
    |    |--D. c. ssp. californicum H93
    |    `--D. c. ssp. interius H93
    |--D. cardinale H93
    |--D. carolinianum S72
    |--D. consolida C55
    |--D. cooperi O88
    |--D. decorum H93
    |    |--D. d. ssp. decorum H93
    |    `--D. d. ssp. tracyi H93
    |--D. densiflorum O88
    |--D. depauperatum [incl. D. diversifolium ssp. harneyense] H93
    |--D. drepanocentrum O88
    |--D. elatum R35
    |--D. glaciale O88
    |--D. glaucum H93
    |--D. gracilentum [incl. D. patens ssp. greenei, D. pratense] H93
    |--D. gypsophilum H93
    |    |--D. g. ssp. gypsophilum H93
    |    `--D. g. ssp. parviflorum H93
    |--D. halteratum H90
    |--D. hansenii H93
    |    |--D. h. ssp. hansenii [incl. D. hansenii var. arcuatum] H93
    |    |--D. h. ssp. ewanianum H93
    |    `--D. h. ssp. kernense H93
    |--D. hesperium H93
    |    |--D. h. ssp. hesperium H93
    |    |--D. h. ssp. cuyamacae H93
    |    `--D. h. ssp. pallescens H93
    |--D. himalayai O88
    |--D. hutchinsoniae H93
    |--D. × inflexum H93
    |--D. inopinum H93
    |--D. kamaonense O88
    |--D. luteum H93
    |--D. nepalense O88
    |--D. nortonii O88
    |    |--D. n. var. nortonii O88
    |    `--D. n. var. curvicalcaratum O88
    |--D. nudicaule H93
    |--D. nuttallianum [incl. D. sonnei] H93
    |--D. parishii H93
    |    |--D. p. ssp. parishii H93
    |    |--D. p. ssp. pallidum H93
    |    `--D. p. ssp. subglobosum H93
    |--D. parryi H93
    |    |--D. p. ssp. parryi [incl. D. parryi ssp. seditiosum] H93
    |    |--D. p. ssp. blochmaniae H93
    |    |--D. p. ssp. eastwoodiae H93
    |    |--D. p. ssp. maritimum H93
    |    `--D. p. ssp. purpureum [=D. parishii ssp. purpureum] H93
    |--D. patens H93
    |    |--D. p. ssp. patens H93
    |    |--D. p. ssp. hepaticoideum H93
    |    `--D. p. ssp. montanum H93
    |--D. polycladon H93
    |--D. purpusii H93
    |--D. recurvatum H93
    |--D. stachydeum H93
    |--D. tricorne J23
    |--D. trolliifolium H93
    |--D. uliginosum H93
    |--D. umbraculorum H93
    |--D. variegatum H93
    |    |--D. v. ssp. variegatum [incl. D. variegatum f. superbum] H93
    |    |--D. v. ssp. kinkiense H93
    |    `--D. v. ssp. thornei H93
    |--D. vestitum O88
    `--D. viscosum O88

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[C55] Candolle, A. de. 1855. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 2. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.

[H90] Harden, G. J. (ed.) 1990. Flora of New South Wales vol. 1. New South Wales University Press.

[H93] Hickman, J. C. (ed.) 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press: Berkeley (California).

[J23] James, E. 1823. Account of an Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, performed in the years 1819 and '20, by order of the Hon. J. C. Calhoun, sec'y of war: under the command of Major Stephen H. Long. From the notes of Major Long, Mr. T. Say, and other gentlemen of the exploring party vol. 1. H. C. Carey & I. Lea: Philadelphia.

[O88] Ohba, H. 1988. The alpine flora of the Nepal Himalayas: an introductory note. In: Ohba, H., & S. B. Malla (eds) The Himalayan Plants vol. 1. The University Museum, University of Tokyo, Bulletin 31: 19–46.

[R35] Rayment, T. 1935. A Cluster of Bees: Sixty essays on the life-histories of Australian bees, with specific descriptions of over 100 new species. Endeavour Press: Sydney.

[S72] Shields, O. 1972. Flower visitation records for butterflies (Lepidoptera). Pan-Pacific Entomologist 48 (3): 189–203.

[TG88] Tepfer, D., A. Goldmann, N. Pamboukdjian, M. Maille, A. Lepingle, D. Chevalier, J. Dénarié & C. Rosenberg. 1988. A plasmid of Rhizobium meliloti 41 encodes catabolism of two compounds from root exudate of Calystegium sepium. Journal of Bacteriology 170 (3): 1153–1161.

[WC00] Wang R.-J. & Chen Z.-Y. 2000. New data of some Ranunculaceae plants in China. Acta Botanica Yunnanica 22: 126–128.