RNGR.net is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and Southern Regional Extension Forestry and is a colloborative effort between these two agencies.

U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Forest Service Southern Regional Extension Forestry Southern Regional Extension Forestry

Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Home Native Plant Network
 
NPN Protocol Details Image

Delphinium (nuttallianum)

Dave Skinner
PMC Farm Manager
USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center
Room 211A Hulbert Hall WSU
Pullman, Washington 99164-6211
509-335-9689
509-335-2940 (fax)
abbie@wsu.edu
http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/wapmc

Family Scientific Name: Ranunculaceae
Family Common Name: Buttercup
Scientific Name: Delphinium nuttallianum Pritz. ex Walp.
Common Synonym: Delphinium nelsonii Greene
Common Name: Upland larkspur, Low larkspur, Yellow pine larkspur
Species Code: DENU2
Ecotype: Paradise Creek drainage near Pullman, WA.
General Distribution: Western North America from British Columbia east to Alberta and South Dakota and south to New Mexico and California. In eastern Washington it is usually found in dry areas of open grassland and Ponderosa pine forest.
Propagation Goal: plants
Propagation Method: seed
ProductType: Container (plug)
Time To Grow: 2 Years
Target Specifications: Tight root plug in container.
Propagule Collection: Fruit is a follicle and seed is black in color when mature. Seed is collected when the follicles begin to split in June. Seed may be shaken from the follicles into an envelope or whole follicles may be collected. Collected material is stored in paper bags or envelopes at room temperature until cleaned.
We determined 617,143 seeds/lb for this ecotype.
Propagule Processing: Seed shaken from follicles needs no cleaning.
Follicles are crushed to release the seed and the seed is cleaned with an air column separator. Clean seed is stored at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 40% relative humidity.
Pre-Planting Treatments: Extended cold, moist stratification is needed. Cool spring temperatures may also be necessary. In trials at the Pullman PMC, no germination occurred without stratification and no seed germinated after 30 days cold, moist stratification. Seed sown in late December and left outside did not germinate the first season, but germinated well after a second winter. Seed sown outdoors in November will germinate the following spring. Seedlings which germinated outside died when placed in the greenhouse.
Growing Area Preparation/
Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:
In mid November seed is sown in 10 cu. in. Ray Leach Super cell conetainers filled with Sunshine #4 and covered lightly. A thin layer of pea gravel is applied to prevent seeds from floating. Conetainers are watered deeply and placed outside.
Establishment Phase: Plants remain outside. They are watered only during dry spells. Germination begins in March and may continue over 2-3 weeks.
Length of Establishment Phase: 1 month
Active Growth Phase: Plants are watered as needed while outside and fertilized once a week with a water soluble, complete fertilizer. They are moved to the lath house in June.
Fertilizer is withheld after dormancy and the conetainers are watered only enough to prevent complete desiccation of the soil.
Length of Active Growth Phase: 2 months
Hardening Phase: Hardening is not needed, as plants are grown outside and are dormant as winter approaches.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: Plants will go dormant during the summer and begin growing early the following spring. They are stored over the winter in the lath house with no protection except snow cover. Plants exposed to extreme low temperatures with no snow cover should be afforded some insulation. The roots are fleshy and fiberous and a tight root plug was not obtained after 2 years.
Other Comments: Growth in containers is slow. Using a well drained potting soil improves performance. The plants respond well to being planted out in soil as long as the roots are not disturbed in the process.
Plants are apparently short-lived but re-seed readily.
Bumblebees and hummingbirds are the principle pollinators (Bosch & Waser 1999, Schulke & Waser 2001).
Plants are poisonous to livestock, especially cattle, and may be considered undesirable or invasive for that reason.
No insect or disease problems have been noted.
References: Bosch, Maria, and Nickolas M. Waser. 1999. Effects of Local Density on Pollination and Reproduction in Delphinium nuttallianum and Aconitum columbianum (Ranunculaceae). American Journal of Botany 86: 871-879.
Craighead, John J., Frank C. Craighead, and Ray J. Davis. 1963. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, MA. 277 pp.
Faust, Ralph and Peggy Faust. 1999. Wildflowers of the Inland Northwest. Museum of North Idaho. Coeur d'Alene, ID. 141 pp.
Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 730 pp.
Kruckeberg, Arthur R. 1996. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. 2nd ed. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 282 pp.
Larrison, Earl J., Grace W. Patrick, William H. Baker, and James A. Yaich. 1974. Washington Wildflowers. The Seattle Audubon Society. Seattle, WA. 376 pp.
Lyons, C.P. 1956. Trees, Shrubs and Flowers to Know in Washington. J.M. Dent & Sons (Canada) Limited. Vancouver, BC. 211 pp.
Lyons, C.P. 1997. Wildflowers of Washington. Lone Pine Publishing, Renton, WA. 192 pp.
Parish, Roberta, Ray Coupe, and Dennis Lloyd (eds.). 1996. Plants ofSouthern Interior British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver, BC, Canada. 463 pp.
Rickett, Harold W. 1973. Wildflowers of the United States: The Central Mountains and Plains. Vol. 6. (3 parts). McGraw Hill, New York.
Schulke, Bradd, and Nickolas M. Waser. 2001. Long-distance Pollinator Flights and Pollen Dispersal Between Populations of Delphinium nuttallianum. Oecologia 127:239-245.
St. John, Harold. 1963. Flora of Southeastern Washington and of Adjacent Idaho. 3rd edition. Outdoor Pictures. Escondido, CA. 583 pp.
Strickler, Dee. 1993. Wayside Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest. The Flower Press, Columbia Falls, MT. 272 pp.
Taylor, Ronald J. 1992. Sagebrush Country. Mountain Press Publishing Co. Missoula, MT. 211 pp.
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) Online Database. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: http://www.ars-grin.gov2/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxgenform.pl (12 April 2005).
USDA, NRCS. 2004. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Whitson, Tom D., Larry C. Burrill, Steven A Dewey, David W. Cudney, B.E. Nelson, Richard D. Lee, and Robert Parker. 1996. Weeds of the West. 5th ed. Western Society of Weed Science. Newark, CA. 630 pp.
Winegar, David. 1982. Desert Wildflowers: Drylands of North America. Beautiful America Publ. Co. Beaverton, OR. 144 pp.
Young, James A. and Cheryl G. Young. 1986. Collecting, Processing and Germinating Seeds of Wildland Plants. Timber Press. Portland, OR. 236 pp.

Citation:

Skinner, David M,. 2007. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Delphinium nuttallianum Pritz. ex Walp. plants USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Pullman, Washington. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/03/28). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.