Garden delphiniums are horticultural hybrids derived from some

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in the genus ''

Delphinium ''Delphinium'' is a genus of about 300 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native throughout the Northern Hemisphere and also on the high mountains of tropical Africa. The genus was erected by Carl Linn ...

''.

Breeding Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant. Breeding may refer to: * Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and ra ...

of garden delphiniums started from the 19th century in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

. In the 20th century, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, Japan and

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also contributed to delphinium breeding.

Cultivar Groups

There are mainly two cultivar groups of garden delphinium: * Elatum Group is the most popular group. The

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s in the group are

tetraploid Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, where each set contains ...

hybrids derived mainly from ''

Delphinium elatum ''Delphinium elatum'' is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, known by the common name alpine delphinium or candle larkspur. It is native to temperate Asia and Europe, it is an erect herbaceous perennial growing to ...

''. Other species like ''D. cardinale'' are also involved. * Belladonna Group, also known as ''Delphinium'' × ''belladonna'', contains mostly

hexaploid Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei ( eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, where each set contain ...

hybrids between '' D. grandiflorum'' and ''D. elatum'' or Elatum Group. Some ''Delphinium'' cultivars belong to neither group, such as '' D. grandiflorum'' cultivars which don't involve interspecific hybridization and ''D.'' × ''ruysii'' 'Pink Sensation' which is a hybrid between Elatum Group and '' D. nudicaule''.

Gallery

Elatum Group

File:Hummel auf rittersporn 5.JPG, single flowers with a bumblebee File:Delphinium × cultorum a1.jpg, single File:Delph 1.jpg, semi-double File:Flowers in Brodsworth Hall gardens (9313).jpg, semi-double File:Delphinium x cultorum1.jpg, semi-double File:Flowers in the English Garden Guelph Arboretum.jpg, double File:Ostróżka wyniosła. Ostróżka ogrodowa. 003.jpg, semi-double File:Flowers in Brodsworth Hall gardens (9314).jpg, semi-double File:Delphinium elatum in Aspen (91164)a.jpg, semi-double File:Delphinium at dawn - geograph.org.uk - 1468997.jpg, semi-double

Belladonna Group

File:Delphinium cv1.jpg File:Tall white flowers (9524935737).jpg File:Delphinium-elatum-021.jpg File:Delphinium-elatum-023.jpg File:Delphinium_Volkerfrieden_-_Flickr_-_peganum.jpg

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q21161178 × cultorum Garden plants Hybrid plants