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Delphinium
nuttallianum (Dwarf Larkspur, Nuttall's Larkspur) Foothills, montane. Meadows.
Spring, early summer. In the early spring, lovely violet-blue Delphinium nuttallianum appears in solitary patches in open woods and also in massive arrays in meadows. The plant is found from about 7,000' to 9,500' in elevation. Delphinium nuttallianum produces several deeply dissected basal leaves early in the spring and then puts up a 6-to-12 inch flower stalk with several more dissected leaves. By the time the flowers are fully opened, as in the photograph at left, the basal leaves are usually withered. The lower arrows point to the dried, buff-colored leaves at the bottom of the stalk. The two upper arrows point to the green star-burst shaped, three-chambered seed pods ("follicles"). Each follicle will split ("dehisce") along one side and spill the numerous seeds. The common name, "Larkspur", comes from the bird's foot-like spur on the rear of the flower. Linnaeus named this genus in 1753. "Delphinium" is from the Latin "delphinus", "Dolphin", for the resemblance of the flower buds to Dolphins. (Click to see the Dolphins.) Thomas Nuttall, a highly praised 19th century botanist, explorer, and Harvard teacher, collected this species in 1834 near the Columbia River and in 1843 Pritzel named this species for Nuttall. (More biographical information about Nuttall.) |
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Delphinium
nuttallianum (Dwarf Larkspur, Nuttall's Larkspur) Foothills, montane. Meadows.
Spring, early summer. Very large basal leaves are the result of continual snows and rains from December through |
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Delphinium
nuttallianum (Dwarf Larkspur, Nuttall's Larkspur) Foothills, montane. Meadows.
Spring, early summer. Albino Delphinium nuttallianum are a rare find. |
Delphinium
nuttallianum (Dwarf Larkspur, Nuttall's Larkspur) Foothills, montane. Meadows.
Spring, early summer. |
Range map © John Kartesz,
County Color Key
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Range map for Delphinium nuttallianum |