DELPHINIUM 



DELPHINIUM 



465 



they are treated like seedlings." (3) By seeds, started 

 in f!u> greenhouse or hotbed in March or even earlier. 

 The young seedlings should be given plenty of room by 

 transplanting as they grow, and may be set in the open 

 garden by .June. It'" started thus early they flower the 

 first autumn, but the seed may be planted in late spring 

 or summer, care being taken to water well during dry 

 weather, and flower* will come the next summer. To get 

 the best results, the perennials should be transplanted 

 every 2 or .'? years. Two good crops of blossoms may 

 be secured in" one season by cutting away the flower- 

 stems of the first crop as soon as the flowers have 

 faded; of course no seeds will be produced in this way. 

 The Delphiniums are much grown in the open garden 

 and border, and are of great value for cut-flower pur- 

 poses. Four species are of much greater popularity than 

 the others: the annual, D. Ajacix, and the perennials, 

 D. grun'iiflorttm, D. hybridinn and D. formosum. The 

 last three have been especially prolific in named va- 

 rieties. 



Rocket and Candelabrum are names used to designate 

 the forms of inflorescence in the two annual species. The 

 " Rocket " or spike-like form is more commonly found in 

 the Ajacis type, and the "Candelabrum," with a number 

 of short spike-like heads of different heights, is found 

 more often in Consolida. A. Gray, An attempt to dis- 

 tinguish between the Amer. Delphiniums, Bot. Gaz. 

 12:49-54, 1887. E. Huth, Monographic der Gattung 

 Delphinium, in Eng. Bot. Jahrb. 20: 322-499, 1895. 



Alphabetical list of species described below: Ajacis, 

 1; alpinum, 16; altissimum, 14; azureum, 18; bicolor, 7; 

 Breckii, 17; Brunonianum, 8 ; cardinale,4; Carolinia- 

 num, 18; Cashmerianum, 10; cheilanthum, 24 ; Chinense, 

 17; Columbianum,22; Consolida, 2; decorum, 9; elatum, 

 16; exaltatum,15; formosum, 25; grandiflorum,17; hybri- 

 dum,27; Maackianum,26; Menziesii,12; mesoleucum,19; 

 nudicaule, 3; Nuttallii, 22; occidentale,23', pauciflomm, 

 13 ; Prseicalskianum, 5 ; Przewalskii, 5; pyramidale, 

 16; scopulorum, 23 ; simplex, 21 ; Sinense, 17; sulphu- 

 reum, 6 ; tricorne, 11 ; trolliifolium, 20 ; virescens, 18; 

 Zalil, 6. 



A. Annuals: petals only 2, united: follicle 1. 



1. Ajacis, Linn. Fig. 687. An erect annual, about 

 18 in. high, with a few spreading branches: Ivs. of stem 

 sessile, deeply cut into fine, linear segments; root-lvs. 

 similar, but short-petioled : fls. showy, blue or violet, 

 varying to white, more numerous than in D. Consolida, in 

 a spicate raceme; petals 2, united; calyx-spur about 

 equaling the rest of the flower: follicle only 1, pubes- 

 cent; seeds with wrinkled, broken ridges. May-Aug. 

 Eu. R.H. 1893, p. 228. Same figure in S.H. 2: 282. 



2. Consolida, Linn. An erect, hairy annual, 1-1% ft. 

 high : Ivs. similar to D. Ajacis: fls. few, loosely panicled, 

 pedicels shorter than the bracts, blue or violet or white; 

 petals 2, united: follicle 1, glabrous; seeds with broken, 

 transverse ridges. June-Aug. Eu. Baxter Brit. Bot. 4, 

 t. 297. R.H. 1893, p. 228 (var. orndtum Candelabrum}. 

 Var. imperialis, Hort. (D. imperialis ft. pi., Hort.). Fls. 

 double. From the English gardens. 



AA. Perennials: petals 4: follicles S-5. 

 B. Sepals red. 



3. nudicaule, Torr. & Gray. Stem 1-1% ft. high, gla- 

 brous, branched, few-lvd.: Ivs. rather succulent, 1-3 in. 

 across, lobed to the middle or farther 3-7 times, the 

 secondary lobes rounded and often mucronate; petioles 

 3-5 in. long, dilated at the base: fls. panicled; sepals 

 bright orange-red, obtuse, scarcely spreading, shorter 

 than the stout spur; petals yellow, nearly as long as 

 sepals: follicles 3, spreading and recurved, soon becom- 

 ing glabrous; seeds thin-winged. April-July. Along 

 mountain streams, northern Calif. B.M. 5819. F.S. 

 19: 1949. R.H. 1893, p. 259. A good perennial in the E. 



4. cardinale, Hook. Stem erect, 2-3% ft. high, partly 

 pubescent: Ivs. smooth, fleshy, deeply 5-parted, the parts 

 cut into long, linear lobes: raceme elongated, many-fld. : 

 fls. bright red, with petal limbs yellow: follicles gla- 

 brous, usually 3; seeds smooth. July, Aug. Calif. B.M. 

 4887. Gt, 208. F.S. 11:1105. R.B. 6:101. Gn. 19:273. 



BB. Sepals clear yellow or tipped with blue. 



5. Przewalskii, Huth. (D. Prsewalskidnum, Hort.). 

 Nearly glabrous, often branched at base, erect, varying 



30 



much in height: Ivs. 3-5 times deeply parted, parts di- 

 vided into narrow, obtuse lobes: fls. clear yellow, or 

 sometimes tipped with blue; spur equaling the sepals: 

 follicles 3, densely hairy. July, Aug. Asia. Int. 1892. 



6. Zalil, Aitch. & Hems. 

 (D. suIjthin-t'Htn, Hort. D. 

 hybridum, var. sulphureum, 

 Hort.). Stem nearly simple, 

 erect, 1-2 ft. high, rather gla- 

 brous, or becoming so: Ivs. 

 of several narrow, linear 

 lobes, dark green, petioles not 

 dilating at the base : fls. large, 

 light yellow, in long racemes: 

 follicles 3, longitudinally fur- 

 rowed and ribbed; seeds with 

 transverse, fibrous plates. 

 June, July. Persia. Int. 1892. 

 B.M. 7049. Gn. 50: 1094; 54, 

 p. 347. G.C. III. 20:247. Seed- 

 lings from tubers and plants 

 die down as if dead; but they 

 make a second growth after 

 a short period of rest. 



BBS. Sepals blue or varying 

 to white. 



c. Height 1% ft. or less. 



D. Petioles dilating at the 

 base. 



7. bicolor, Nutt. Erect, 

 rather stout, %-l ft. high, 

 from fascicled roots : Ivs. 



687. Delphinium Ajacis -The small, thick, deeply parted 



common annual Larkspur, and divisions cleft, except 



perhaps in the upper Ivs.; 



segments linear and obtuse: raceme rather few fld., the 

 lower pedicels ascending 1-2 in. : spur and sepals nearly 

 equal, % in. long or more, blue ; upper petals pale yel- 

 low or white, blue-veined ; lower petals blue: follicles 

 glabrous or becoming so. May-Aug. Dry woods, Colo., 

 west and north to Alaska. 



8. Brunonianum, Royle. MUSK LARKSPUR. Stems 

 erect, %-l%ft. high: plant somewhat pubescent: upper 

 Ivs. 3-parted, lower ones reniform, 5-parted ; segments 

 deeply cut, musk-scented : fls. large, light blue with 

 purple margins, center black ; spur very short ; sepals 

 1 in. long, membranous and often clinging until the 

 fr. is mature: follicles 3 or 4, villose. June, July. China. 

 B.M. 5461. R.B. 1863:34. 



9. decorum, Fischer & Meyer. Stem slender and 

 weak, %-!% ft. high, smooth or nearly so : Ivs. few, 

 bright green; upper ones small, 3-5-parted into narrow 

 lobes ; lower and radical ones somewhat reniform in out- 

 line and deeply 3-5-parted, lobes often differing widely: 

 fls. in a loose raceme, or somewhat panicled; sepals 

 blue, % in. long, equaling the spurs; upper petals at 

 least tinged with yellow: follicles 3, thickish, glabrous. 

 Spring. Calif. Int. 1881. B.R. 26:64. 



DD. Petioles hardly dilating at the base. 

 E. Upper petals never yellow. 



10. Cashmerianum, Royle. Plant pubescent, not very 

 leafy: stem, simple,erect,slender.lO-18 in. high: root-lvs. 

 orbicular, 2-3 in. in diameter, 5-7-lobed, coarsely, acutely 

 toothed and cut; petiole 5-8 in. long; stem-lvs. short- 

 petioled, 3-5-lobed, cut like the radical ones, all rather 

 thick, and bright green : inflorescence corymbose, the 

 branches rather spreading: fls. 2 in. long, deep azure 

 blue; spur broad, obtuse, inflated, decurved, little over 

 half as long as sepals ; upper petals almost black, 2-lobed, 

 lateral ones greenish: follicles 3-5, hairy. July-Sept. 

 Himalayas. B.M. 6189. Gt. 1105. Gn. 18:261. R.H. 

 1893, p. 259. Hardy in Mass., and choice. 



Var. Walkeri, Hook. Stem very short, leafy, many- 

 fld.: upper Ivs. less lobed or almost entire, small, long- 

 petioled: fls. very large, light blue with yellow petals. 

 Suited to rockwork. B.M. 6830. 



EE. Upper petals yellow or striped with yellow. 



11. tricdrne, Michx. Stem succulent, about 1 ft. high : 

 Ivs. 3-5-parted, with 3-5-cleft linear lobes ; petioles 



