Notes on Californian Species of Delphinium 



By Alice Eastwood 



I. DELPHINIUM DECORUM F. & M. AND ITS ALLIES 



The Californian species of Delphinium, like those of many 

 other Californian genera, are but little understood. This is 

 owing to the remarkable tendency to variation, to the confusion 

 in regard to the types, and to the generally inadequate material 

 in herbaria. 



Delphinium decorum F. &■ M. is one of the most puzzling 

 species, under which plants quite different in appearance have been 

 included. The species was originally described by Fischer and 

 Meyer (Ind. Sem. Petr. 3: 33. 1836), and the description was 

 transcribed into the supplement of Linnaea (Linnaea 12 : Suppl. 

 92). As seen in this description, given in the footnote, the type 

 locality is Bodega Port* 



To rediscover this and some other plants described from the 

 same place, the writer visited this port twice in the spring and 

 summer of 1899. Only one species of Delphinium was found 

 around the port. This grew on the ocean side of the promontory 

 which rises about a hundred feet from the sea. The native vege- 

 tation of the promontory has been preserved from destruction by 

 a fence which has been built around it to keep the cattle from the 

 danger of being carried down to the surf below on some of the 

 land slides which frequently occur during the wet season. From 

 the specimens collected there the following description has been 

 made : 



* Delphinium ( Delphinastrum ; Coh. grumosa : Petalorum lamina dilatata,' bifida : 

 petioli basi vix dilatati : radix tuberosa-grumosa. Hue D. Menziesii, D. elegans, D. 

 income) decorum Fisch. et Mey. B. pubescens, subglabrum : foliis tripartitis : seg- 

 ments lateralibus bifidis indivisve : lobis oblongis tridentatis I. integerrimis : floralibus 

 bracteisque suboblongis (plerumque) integris : calcare curvulo sepalorum longitudine. 



et D. eleganti proximum, sed foliis bene distinctum. Flores, speciosi, 

 primo ex coeruleo violascentes, dein violaceo-purpurascentes. — Hab. circa coloniam 

 Ruthenorum Ross in portu Bodega Novae Californiae. 



667 



Menziesii 



