Delphinium uliginosum
Encyclopedia
Delphinium uliginosum is a species of larkspur
known by the common names swamp larkspur and bog larkspur. It is endemic to California
, where it is known from very localized populations in the Inner North Coast Ranges. It grows in chaparral
, grassland, and other habitat in the hills, generally on serpentine soil
s. This is a perennial herb producing a hairless, erect stem up to 70 centimeters tall. It can be identified by its leaves, which are fan-shaped, a characteristic unique among the larkspurs, which generally have palmate leaves with narrow, fingerlike lobes. The inflorescence
bears up to 45 flowers, each on an upright pedicel
which may exceed 10 centimeters long. The flower is blue with the longest sepal
s 1.4 centimeters long and a spur about the same length. The fruit is one or two centimeters long.
Delphinium
Delphinium is a genus of about 300 species of perennial flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native throughout the Northern Hemisphere and also on the high mountains of tropical Africa. The common name, larkspur, is shared with the closely related genus Consolida...
known by the common names swamp larkspur and bog larkspur. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it is known from very localized populations in the Inner North Coast Ranges. It grows in chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
, grassland, and other habitat in the hills, generally on serpentine soil
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
s. This is a perennial herb producing a hairless, erect stem up to 70 centimeters tall. It can be identified by its leaves, which are fan-shaped, a characteristic unique among the larkspurs, which generally have palmate leaves with narrow, fingerlike lobes. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
bears up to 45 flowers, each on an upright pedicel
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
which may exceed 10 centimeters long. The flower is blue with the longest sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s 1.4 centimeters long and a spur about the same length. The fruit is one or two centimeters long.