FoI
Dense-Flowered Delphinium
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Dense-Flowered Delphinium
P Native Unknown Photo: Sunit Singh
Common name: Dense-Flowered Delphinium
Botanical name: Delphinium densiflorum    Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)
Synonyms: Delphinium brunonianum var. densum

Dense-Flowered Delphinium is a perennial herb with stem 30-46 cm tall, sparsely velvet-hairy or becoming hairless, simple. Flowers are borne in densely 10--40-flowered racemes, 5-14 cm, velvet-hairy; bracts lanceshaped. Flower-stalks are 2-2.5 cm; bracteoles distal, linear-oblong, 1.4-1.5 cm. Sepals are persistent, bluish gray, below velvet-hairy; spur conic, 8-10 mm, base 4-5 mm in diameter; other sepals 2-2.4 cm. Petals are hidden within the sepals, black 2-lobed, fringed with hairs distally. Leaf blade is 6-7 cm wide, base heart-shaped; primary lobes separate for less than 60% of blade radius; central lobe rhombic-ovate, 3-lobulate, distally toothed, tip pointed; ultimate lobules ovate; proximal leaves usually not withered. Dense-Flowered Delphinium is found on scrub, river banks, at altitudes of 3300-6000 m, in W. & Central Himalaya to China. Flowering: July-August.

Identification credit: Dharmendra Rawat, Sunit Singh Photographed at Junargali, Roopkund, Chamoli, Uttarakhand.

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