Herbs, perennial, rarely annual or biennial; roots tuberous or not; stems erect or
reduced. Leaves radical or cauline or both, palmately lobed, often further divided or
dissected. Flowers zygomorphic, usually in terminal racemes or panicles, sometimes
only 1 or 2 on a stem; pedicels subtended by leafy bracts and one or two bracteoles.
Sepals 5, petaloid, the uppermost (posterior) sepal spurred, the laterals in two similar
pairs. Petals (honey leaves) 4, in 2 unlike pairs, the upper pair produced into nectariferous spurs that extend into the sepal spur and the upper part or lamina more or less
cleaver-shaped; the lower pair with a slender claw and an expanded lamina which is
often vertical to the claw. Stamens included, numerous in 8 spiral series; filaments
broadened at base; anthers short. Carpels 3 -
5, usually free. Follicles 3 -
5, free, erect
or divergent; seeds obpyramidal, winged or not at angles, variously beset with overlapping scales in transverse rows or ridges on surface.
North temperate regions; ca 200 species, 24 species in India, mainly in Himalayan
regions.
Literature.
MUNZ, P.A.
(1967 - 68) A synopsis of the Asian species of Delphinium sensu stricto. J.
Arn. Arb. 48: 249 - 302, 476 - 545 & 49: 73 - 166, 233 - 259.
KEY TO THE SPECIES
| 1a. Roots tuberous, clustered, short, vertical; flowers small, crowded in dense racemes; pedicels up to 1 cm long; sepals ca 1 cm long
|
2
|
| b. Roots not tuberous, mostly slender or cylindrical, rhizome-like; flowers larger in lax racemes; pedicels
longer than 1 cm; sepals more than 1 cm long
|
4
|
| b. Pedicels with closely appressed hairs; spur straight, not hooked at the end
|
3
|
| 4a. Plants mostly very hairy ; sepals veiny, dry and papery in age, more or less persistent; spur thick, 4 - 10 mm in diam, at base
|
5
|
| b. Plants usually less hairy; sepals not so veiny and papery, caducous; spur slender
|
12
|
| 5a. Spur equal to or exceeding the sepals in length
|
6
|
| b. Spur much shorter than the upper sepal
|
7
|
| 6a. Flowers few in lax corymbs or racemes; sepals hairy both surfaces; upper petal sparsely hairy at tip;
spur 10 -
20 cm long follicles hairy
|
24.
Delphinium viscosum
|
| b. Flowers in 10 -
30 cm long racemes; sepals usually glabrous on inner surface; upper petal glabrous;
spur ca 10 mm long; follicles villous
|
23.
Delphinium vestitum
|
| b. Inflorescence lax, either recemose or corymbose or 1-flowered; pediccls not adpressed to axis
|
8
|
| 8a. Upper sepal mostly 15 -
20 mm long
|
9
|
| b. Upper sepal mostly 20 -
30 mm long
|
10
|
| b. Plants 40 -
100 cm tall; flowers several; sepals hairy inside and outside
|
23.
Delphinium vestitum
|
| 10a. Leaves deeply finely dissected into many narrow lobes, mostly 1.5 -
2 mm wide
|
9.
Delphinium glaciale
|
| b. Leaves not so finely dissected
|
11
|
| 11a. Plants not glandular hairy in upper parts; bracteoles mostly near to the flower on pedicels
|
2.
Delphinium brunonianum
|
| b. Plants not glandular hairy in upper parts; bracteoles placed away from flower base on pedicels
|
5.
Delphinium cashmerianum
|
| 12a. Leaves dissected into linear, more or less oblong, 2 -
3 mm wide, ultimate segments
|
13
|
| b. Leaves with broader, lanceolate to ovate, over 5 mm wide, ultimate segments
|
19
|
| b. Spur not markedly longer than sepals
|
14
|
| 14a. Upper sepals 12 -
15 mm long; upper petals much darker than sepals
|
10.
Delphinium incisum
|
| b. Upper sepals 16 -
25 mm long; upper petals not darker than sepals
|
15
|
| 15a. Flowers several in an inflorescence; sepals largely 8 -
15 mm long
|
16
|
| b. Flowers mostly one to a stem; sepals 15 - 25 mm long
|
17
|
| 16a. Pedicels mostly 1 -
2 cm long, with a somewhat recurved tip; bracteoles 2 -
3 mm long. placed below
the middle on the pedicel; follicles densely strigose
|
12.
Delphinium koelzii
|
| b. Pedicels 1 -
4 cm long, not recurved at tip; bracteoles 2 -
4 mm long, placed near the middle on the
pedicel; sepals 12 -
15 mm long; follicles sparsely hairy to subglabrous
|
7.
Delphinium denudatum
|
| b. Plants strigose to hirsute on stems and/or inflorescence axes
|
18
|
| 19a. Petals darker than sepals, almost black
|
20
|
| b. Petals not darker than sepals
|
21
|
| 20a. Stems 10 -
15 cm high, mostly glabrous; pedicels glandular-pubescent; sepals glabrous outside; spur
12 -
15 mm long; seeds not winged
|
18.
Delphinium pyramidale
|
| b. Stems 4 -
15 dm high, mostly retrorse-pubescent; pedicels not glandular-pubescent; sepals hairy out-
side; spur 18 -
20 mm long; seeds winged along sides
|
21.
Delphinium stapeliosum
|
| 21a. Spur obviously longer than the blade of the upper sepal, downwardly curved almost into a half circle
|
8.
Delphinium drepanocentrum
|
| b. Spur not or scarcely longer than the blade of the upper sepal; spur not curved thus
|
22
|
| b. Spur about as long as the blade of the upper sepal
|
23
|
| b. Inflorescence lacking glandular hairs
|
24
|
| 24a. Bracteoles placed near the middle of the pedicel; sepals densely pubescent, deep blue; spur 20 -
22 mm
long; stamens 8 - 9 mm long; seeds rounded in outline
|
1.
Delphinium altissimum
|
| b. Bracteoles placed near the flower at tip of the pedicel; sepals minutely strigulose, rich purple to deep
maroon; spur 12 -
15 mm long; stamens 5 -
6 mm long; seeds angled
|
15.
Delphinium ludlowii
|
