The plant is subglabrous with erect, aerial stems and numerous alternate basal leaves.

The stem is subglabrous to tomentose.

The somewhat subglabrous leaves are pinnately compound into generally six paired, palmately cleft leaflets.

Its adaxial surface is subglabrous, eglandular, while the abaxial surface has scattered stalked glands especially on its primary and secondary veins.

The stems of Delphinium scopulorum are 50-120 cm in length and have a base that is reddish, puberulent, with midstems that are glabrous to subglabrous.

The opposite leaves have thinly coriaceous ovate to narrowly elliptic blades, 6-30 cm long by 2-10 cm wide, acuminate or apiculate, abruptly narrowed at the base, minutely pilose above, but white-tomentose to subglabrous beneath, with mostly shallow crenate - dentate margins.

They represent different populations of a single taxon, E. philadelphicus ssp. provancheri (Marie-Victorin & Rousseau) J. K. Morton stat.nov. It is distinguished by its perennial subglabrous habit, small size, small capitula, and white or nearly white ligulate florets.

Variety glabra was found to be an ecotype of E. philadelphicus which is only known from salt marshes at Port Albemi, Vancouver Island, B.C. It is distinguished by its subglabrous stem, leaves, and involucres and its somewhat fleshy leaves.