Delphinium andersonii
Encyclopedia
Delphinium andersonii is a species of larkspur
known as Anderson's larkspur. This wildflower is native to western North America where it can be found in the Great Basin
and the Sierra Nevada. This is an erect perennial usually reaching about half a meter in height. It has small leaves on long petioles
with the leaf blades divided into long fingerlike lobes. The top of the slender stem is occupied by a cylindrical inflorescence
of flowers, each flower two to four centimeters wide with a spur measuring nearly two centimeters in length. The flowers usually have sepal
s of a brilliant dark blue, with the lower two petals the same color and the upper two petals white. Some individuals have sepals and petals of very light purple or blue to almost white. The anthers
are often yellow.
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 as Anderson's larkspur. This wildflower is native to western North America where it can be found in the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
and the Sierra Nevada. This is an erect perennial usually reaching about half a meter in height. It has small leaves on long petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
with the leaf blades divided into long fingerlike lobes. The top of the slender stem is occupied by a cylindrical 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...
of flowers, each flower two to four centimeters wide with a spur measuring nearly two centimeters in length. The flowers usually have 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 of a brilliant dark blue, with the lower two petals the same color and the upper two petals white. Some individuals have sepals and petals of very light purple or blue to almost white. The anthers
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
are often yellow.