Delphinium is a genus of about 250 species of annual, biennial or perennial flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native throughout the Northern Hemisphere and also on the high mountains of tropical Africa. The common name, shared with the closely related genus Consolida, is Larkspur.
The leaves are deeply lobed with 3-7 toothed, pointed lobes. The main flowering stem is erect, and varies greatly in size between the species, from 10 cm in some alpine species, up to 2 m tall in the larger meadowland species; it is topped by many flowers, varying between purple, blue, red, yellow or white. The flower has five petals which grow together to form a hollow flower with a spur at the end, which gives the plant its name. The seeds are small and shiny black. The plants flower from late spring to late summer, and are pollinated by butterflies and bumble bees. Despite the toxicity, Delphinium species are used as food plants by the larve of some Lepidoptera species including Dot Moth and Small Angle Shades.
Other names are, lark's heel (Shakespeare), lark's claw and knight's spur. The scientific name is taken from Dioscorides and describes the shape of the bud, which is thought to look like a (rather fat) dolphin.
The Forking Larkspur (Delphinium consolida) prefers chalky loams. It grows wild in cornfields, but has become very rare nowadays. The flowers are commonly purple, but a white variety exists as well.
Baker's larkspur (Delphinium bakeri) and Yellow larkspur (D. luteum), both native to very restricted areas of California, are highly endangered species.
Many species are cultivated as garden plants, with numerous cultivars having been selected for their denser, more prominent flowers.
All parts of the plant contain an alkaloid delphinine and are very poisonous, causing vomiting when eaten, and death in larger amounts. In small amounts, extracts of the plant have been used in herbal medicine.Gerard's Herbal reports that drinking the seed of larkspur was thought to help against the stings of scorpions, and that other poisonous animals could not move when covered by the herb, but does not believe it himself. Grieve's herbal reports that the seeds can be used against parasites, especially lice and their nits in the hair. A tincture is used against asthma and dropsy. The juice of the flowers, mixed with alum, gives a blue ink. The plant was connected to Saint Odile and in popular medicine used against eye diseases. It was one of the herbs used on the feast of St. John and as such warded against lightning. In Transylvania, it was used to keep witches from the stables, probably because of its black color.
Larkspur, especially tall larkspur, is a significant cause of sheep poisoning on rangelands in the eastern United States. Larkspur is more common in high-elevation areas, and many ranchers will delay moving cattle onto such ranges until late summer when the toxicity of the plants is reduced.
Delphinium glaucum is a species of larkspur known by the common names Sierra larkspur, mountain larkspur, and glaucous larkspur. This wildflower is native to western North America from Arizona to Alaska. It grows in moist mountainous environments, such as riverbanks and meadows. This plant sprouts one to several tall, stout, pale green erect stems which may approach three meters in height. The lobed leaves are generally found only at the base of the plant. The top of the stem is a large inflorescence which may itself be over a meter long. It usually contains over fifty widely spaced flowers, with each flower on a pedicel a few centimeters long. The sepals are flat and extend to the sides or point forward. The sepals and petals are dark blue to deep purple, although the top two petals may be lighter in color to almost white. They may be somewhat wrinkly. The spur is about two centimeters long.
Delphinium grandiflorum is also known as 'Blue Butterfly'. My mom used to grow some of that. This plant is commonly used in household gardens and is a favorite of hummingbirds. This plant requires full sun but can also thrive in part sun assuming good soil conditions. This plant will reach 12-15" tall and blooms in the summer. The abundant, long-blooming flowers are ideal for cutting and look wonderful paired with pink or yellow flowers. This variety can withstand hot summers and dryer soil. Dead-heading this plant will encourage more blooming. Care must be taken with pets and small children as all parts of the plant are poisonous.
Delphinium andersonii is a species of larkspur known as Anderson's larkspur. This wildflower is native to western North America where it can be found in the Great Basin and the Sierra Nevada. This is an erect perennial usually reaching about half a meter in height. It has small leaves on long petioles with the leaf blades divided into long fingerlike lobes. The top of the slender stem is occupied by a cylindrical inflorescence of flowers, each flower two to four centimeters wide with a spur measuring nearly two centimeters in length. The flowers usually have sepals of a brilliant dark blue, with the lower two petals the same color and the upper two petals white. Some individuals have sepals and petals of very light purple or blue to almost white. The anthers are often yellow.
Baker's larkspur (Delphinium bakeri) is a perennial herb in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It is an endangered species native to California (USA), the current single known population being estimated at 35 individuals.
This rare species grows from a thickened, tuber-like, fleshy cluster of roots, to a height of 70 cm (26 inches). The leaves occur primarily along the upper third of the stem and are green at the time the plant flowers.
The flowers are irregularly shaped. It has five conspicuous sepals, bright dark blue or purplish, with the rear sepal elongated into a spur. The inconspicuous petals occur in two pairs. The lower pair is oblong and blue-purple, the upper pair oblique and white.Seeds are produced in several dry, many-seeded fruits that split open at maturity on only one side. The species flowers from April through May.
Baker's larkspur grows on decomposed shale within coastal scrub plant community. Historically, it was known from Coleman Valley in Sonoma County and from near Tomales in Marin County, California.
In July 2002, county-hired road crews mowing weeds in the critical habitat area cut down 30 to 50 Baker's larkspurs. At the time, scientists speculated that may have wiped the plant out.
In October 2004, the plant was nearly wiped out of existence by county workers using heavy machinery to unclog a roadside drain. The location was the species' sole habitat, and the unwitting workers reduced the population from 100 plants to just 5 within minutes. But "a researcher from UC Berkeley has, for the past 3 years, been assessing the genetics of the plants and, luckily as it turns out, got permission to collect a limited amount of seed in 2004 before the back-hoe action."
Delphinium gracilentum is a species of larkspur known by the common name pine forest larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it grows throughout the Sierra Nevada. This wildflower is usually around half a meter in maximum height, with leaves growing from the lowest third of the stem. The leaves usually have five lobes. The upper part of the stem is occupied by widely spaced flowers, which each grow at the end of a pedicel a few centimeters long. The flower color may be any shade of blue, or occasionally white or pinkish. The sepals often curl backwards. The spur is usually between one and one and a half centimeters long.
Delphinium gypsophilum is a species of larkspur known by the common name Pinoche Creek larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it grows throughout the central part of the state in woodland and grassland. This wildflower generally reaches between one half and one meter in height. Its pale whitish-green stem is topped with cylindrical inflorescences of up to 30 flowers on short pedicels. The flowers are chalk-white, sometimes drying to a faint blue. Occasional individuals bear pink or light blue flowers. The spur is one to one and a half centimeters long.
Delphinium hesperium is a species of larkspur known by the common name foothill larkspur. It is also sometimes called western larkspur and coastal larkspur, but these names are less specific since other species share them. It is endemic to California, where it grows in woodland and grassland in the northern half of the state. This wildflower generally reaches one half to one meter in height. It has deeply lobed, prominently veined leaves, mostly located near the base of the plant. The inflorescence may hold very few to over 100 flowers, each on a long, thick pedicel. The flowers are usually a brilliant blue or purple, and sometimes lighter pinkish to white. Often the sepals are dark in color and the petals lighter. The spur is about one to two centimeters long
Delphinium hansenii is a species of larkspur known by the common names Eldorado larkspur and Hansen's delphinium. It is endemic to California, where it grows in mountains, valleys, and desert from the southern Cascade Range to the Mojave Desert. This wildflower usually grows between one half and one meter in height, although it can grow much taller. The deeply lobed leaves are hairy, especially on the undersides. The inflorescence has usually over 25 flowers grouped close together at the top of the stem and held on long pedicels. The flowers are white to light blue or light pink, or bicolored, and vary in size. The inner petals may be quite hairy.
Delphinium purpusii is a rare species of larkspur known by the common names Kern County larkspur and rose-flowered larkspur. It is endemic to California where it is known only from Kern and Tulare Counties in the region where the Sierra Nevada meets the Mojave Desert. It grows on rocky cliffs and talus. This wildflower reaches between one half and one meter in height. The erect thin stem has deeply lobed leaves around the base and a small, narrow inflorescence of generally ten to 20 flowers at the top. The flowers of this species are bright pink, making it unusual among the mainly blue-flowered plants of this genus. The sepals curl either forward or back.
Delphinium hutchinsoniae is a rare species of larkspur known by the common names Monterey larkspur and Hutchinson's larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from Monterey County. This wildflower reaches a meter in height but is usually shorter. The leaves are divided into lobes which are further divided into smaller lobes, and they are mostly located low on the plant. The top of the thin, erect stem is occupied by an inflorescence of not more than ten flowers. Each flower has sepals which are brilliant purple or blue to lavender, two petals which are the same color, and two upper petals which are usually white. The spur is up to two centimeters long and curves down at the tip.
Delphinium recurvatum is a species of larkspur known by the common names Byron larkspur, recurved larkspur, and valley larkspur. It is endemic to California, where most of its historical range is in the Central Valley. The grasslands of the valley have been mostly claimed for development and agriculture, so this species is now uncommon. This wildflower reaches a maximum height of about half a meter. Its deeply lobed leaves are mainly basal, with those located further up the dark purple stem being much smaller. The flowers are generally blue, with the sepals and lower petals darker than the upper petals. The sepals are usually curved back, the trait which gives the plant its name.
Delphinium glaucum is a species of larkspur known by the common names Sierra larkspur, mountain larkspur, and glaucous larkspur. This wildflower is native to western North America from Arizona to Alaska. It grows in moist mountainous environments, such as riverbanks and meadows. This plant sprouts one to several tall, stout, pale green erect stems which may approach three meters in height. The lobed leaves are generally found only at the base of the plant. The top of the stem is a large inflorescence which may itself be over a meter long. It usually contains over fifty widely spaced flowers, with each flower on a pedicel a few centimeters long. The sepals are flat and extend to the sides or point forward. The sepals and petals are dark blue to deep purple, although the top two petals may be lighter in color to almost white. They may be somewhat wrinkly. The spur is about two centimeters long.
Delphinium californicum is a species of larkspur known as California larkspur. This wildflower is endemic to California, where it is a resident of the chaparral slopes of the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast. It has a long root from which it erects tall stems usually exceeding a meter in height and often approaching two meters. The leaves arise on long petioles and are each divided into as many as 15 fingerlike pointed lobes. The top of the stem is occupied with a very large inforescence usually containing over 50 flowers. Each flower rises on a pedicel several centimeters long. The sepal point forward to make a cup out of the mouth of the somewhat tubular flower. The longest sepals are about a centimeter long and the spur of the flower may approach two centimeters in length. The flower is generally white to greenish white to light lavender
The endangered flower Delphinium luteum, the yellow larkspur, is a perennial of the buttercup family which is endemic to the rocky, foggy hillsides of coastal Sonoma County,California. There are probably fewer than 100 individuals left in existence. This rare plants is a small herb bearing bright yellow cornucopia-shaped flowers.
The plant was never distributed beyond the coastal area of Sonoma and Marin Counties, and has never been abundant. Activities in the area including quarrying, grazing, agriculture, and development further reduced the population of yellow larkspur to its current near extinction. It has been listed as an endangered species since the 1970s. Extremely isolated patches of the plant still exist on private property near Bodega Bay, where it is protected.
Yellow larkspur is pollinated by hummingbirds and insects, and often hybridizes with two other Delphinium species if it receives their pollen. However, pure unhybridized individuals of yellow larkspur exist and the genetic diversity within the species is high. More recent conservation attempts have focused on specifically preserving the yellow larkspur species.
A closely related flower in this region, Baker's larkspur, is also critically endangered, and the two species are often studied together.
Delphinium staphisagria is a perennial plant of the family Ranunculaceae. This plant is also known as Lice-Bane or Stavesacre. All parts of this plant are highly toxic and should not be ingested in any quantity. The plant has purple flowers, May to August. It grows about 1 meter with thin green stems.
Propagation: Seeds can be sown directly into the soil, April to mid summer. Sow 8 inches apart. Delphinium trolliifolium is a species of larkspur known by the common names poison delphinium, cow poison, and Columbian larkspur. It is native to Oregon and northern California. This wildflower reaches one half to just over one meter in height. It has large, shiny, deeply lobed leaves. The top half of the stem is an inflorescence of widely spaced flowers on long pedicels, the longest over nine centimeters long. The flowers are usually deep brilliant blue. The upper two petals may be milky white. The spur exceeds two centimeters in length in the largest of the flowers. This plant is toxic as the common names suggest, but most larkspur species are toxic to some degree.
Delphinium nudicaule is a flowering plant known by the common names red larkspur, orange larkspur, and canyon delphinium. It sends up long, stringy thin stems with few leaves and bears attractive larkspur flowers in shades of red and orange. It is native to the low elevation canyons, foothills, and slopes of California and Oregon. The flowers attract hummingbirds. The root of the plant has been historically used as a medicinal narcotic, chiefly by the Mendocino Native Americans.
Delphinium variegatum is a species of larkspur known by the common name royal larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it grows in mountains, valley, and coast in woodlands and grasslands. This erect wildflower may reach half a meter in maximum height. Its leaves have deep lobes which may overlap. The long petioles are hairy. The branching inflorescence holds fewer than 25 widely spaced flowers, which are usually bright deep blue, and occasionally lighter blue. The spur is between one and two centimeters long. There are three subspecies, at least one of which is quite rare.
Delphinium nuttallianum is a species of larkspur known by the common names twolobe larkspur and Nuttall's larkspur. It is widely distributed across western North America from California to Mexico. This wildflower has a white to pink erect stem usually not exceeding half a meter in height which may branch several times. Deeply lobed leaves are located mostly about the base of the plant. The inflorescence occupying the top end of the stem has few widely-spaced flowers on long pedicels. The sepals are long and curl backwards or fold upon themselves. They may be dark purple to light blue. The lower petals are the same color, while the upper are often white. The spur is one or two centimeters long.
Delphinium patens is a species of larkspur known by the common names zigzag larkspur and spreading larkspur. It is a wildflower found almost exclusively in the state of California. It grows a long, thin stem with leaves restricted to the lower half. It bears inflorescences of small dark blue or deep purple larkspur flowers with petals each less than a centimeter long.
Plants grow typically 20-50 cm tall are glabrous to puberulent with stems that have reddish bases. Leaves mostly on the bottom 1/3 of stem of the flowering stems and along with 1 to 3 basal leaves at blooming plus 2 to 4 stem leaves. The leaves are rounded to pentagonal shaped with 3 to 9 lobes. Flowers have dark blue colored sepals that are glabrous, the lateral sepals reflexed. The flowers have 4-8 mm straight spurs ascending 30° above horizontal. The flower clefts 1-3 mm long with hairs centered on base of cleft or on the inner lobes, the hairs are scattered, white in color or rarely yellow. Seeds produced in fruits that are 12-23 mm long and 3.3-3.6 times longer than wide, the fruits are glabrous or puberulent. Each blooming stem produces from 4 to 25 flowers, sometimes up to 36. The seeds are unwinged, and most often with pitted seed coats.
There are three subspecies:
Delphinium patens subsp. hepaticoideum
Delphinium patens subsp. montanum
Delphinium patens subsp. patens
Delphinium parryi is a species of larkspur known by the common names San Bernardino larkspur and Parry's larkspur. It is native to Baja California and California from the San Francisco Bay Area south. This wildflower may approach a meter in maximum height. It has fuzzy stems and fuzzy, deeply lobed leaves. The inflorescence holds a few to over 60 flowers on long pedicels. The sepals and petals are deep purple to light blue, with the upper petals often white. The spur may be over two centimeters long.
Desert larkspur (Delphinium parishii) is a flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae (the buttercup family) native to the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States and northwest Mexico, where it is found between 300–2500 m altitude in California,Arizonia, southwestern Utah, and Baja California.
It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing to 17-60 cm tall, rarely to 100 cm tall, with palmately lobed leaves. The flowers vary across the species' range, from dark blue to purplish near Joshua Tree National Park, sky-blue in the eastern and northern parts of the desert, and pink in some areas in California. Flowering occurs between April and June. It is also found in the Tehachapi Mountains.
The leaves are deeply lobed with 3-7 toothed, pointed lobes. The main flowering stem is erect, and varies greatly in size between the species, from 10 cm in some alpine species, up to 2 m tall in the larger meadowland species; it is topped by many flowers, varying between purple, blue, red, yellow or white. The flower has five petals which grow together to form a hollow flower with a spur at the end, which gives the plant its name. The seeds are small and shiny black. The plants flower from late spring to late summer, and are pollinated by butterflies and bumble bees. Despite the toxicity, Delphinium species are used as food plants by the larve of some Lepidoptera species including Dot Moth and Small Angle Shades.
Other names are, lark's heel (Shakespeare), lark's claw and knight's spur. The scientific name is taken from Dioscorides and describes the shape of the bud, which is thought to look like a (rather fat) dolphin.
The Forking Larkspur (Delphinium consolida) prefers chalky loams. It grows wild in cornfields, but has become very rare nowadays. The flowers are commonly purple, but a white variety exists as well.
Baker's larkspur (Delphinium bakeri) and Yellow larkspur (D. luteum), both native to very restricted areas of California, are highly endangered species.
Many species are cultivated as garden plants, with numerous cultivars having been selected for their denser, more prominent flowers.
All parts of the plant contain an alkaloid delphinine and are very poisonous, causing vomiting when eaten, and death in larger amounts. In small amounts, extracts of the plant have been used in herbal medicine.Gerard's Herbal reports that drinking the seed of larkspur was thought to help against the stings of scorpions, and that other poisonous animals could not move when covered by the herb, but does not believe it himself. Grieve's herbal reports that the seeds can be used against parasites, especially lice and their nits in the hair. A tincture is used against asthma and dropsy. The juice of the flowers, mixed with alum, gives a blue ink. The plant was connected to Saint Odile and in popular medicine used against eye diseases. It was one of the herbs used on the feast of St. John and as such warded against lightning. In Transylvania, it was used to keep witches from the stables, probably because of its black color.
Larkspur, especially tall larkspur, is a significant cause of sheep poisoning on rangelands in the eastern United States. Larkspur is more common in high-elevation areas, and many ranchers will delay moving cattle onto such ranges until late summer when the toxicity of the plants is reduced.
Delphinium glaucum is a species of larkspur known by the common names Sierra larkspur, mountain larkspur, and glaucous larkspur. This wildflower is native to western North America from Arizona to Alaska. It grows in moist mountainous environments, such as riverbanks and meadows. This plant sprouts one to several tall, stout, pale green erect stems which may approach three meters in height. The lobed leaves are generally found only at the base of the plant. The top of the stem is a large inflorescence which may itself be over a meter long. It usually contains over fifty widely spaced flowers, with each flower on a pedicel a few centimeters long. The sepals are flat and extend to the sides or point forward. The sepals and petals are dark blue to deep purple, although the top two petals may be lighter in color to almost white. They may be somewhat wrinkly. The spur is about two centimeters long.
Delphinium grandiflorum is also known as 'Blue Butterfly'. My mom used to grow some of that. This plant is commonly used in household gardens and is a favorite of hummingbirds. This plant requires full sun but can also thrive in part sun assuming good soil conditions. This plant will reach 12-15" tall and blooms in the summer. The abundant, long-blooming flowers are ideal for cutting and look wonderful paired with pink or yellow flowers. This variety can withstand hot summers and dryer soil. Dead-heading this plant will encourage more blooming. Care must be taken with pets and small children as all parts of the plant are poisonous.
Delphinium andersonii is a species of larkspur known as Anderson's larkspur. This wildflower is native to western North America where it can be found in the Great Basin and the Sierra Nevada. This is an erect perennial usually reaching about half a meter in height. It has small leaves on long petioles with the leaf blades divided into long fingerlike lobes. The top of the slender stem is occupied by a cylindrical inflorescence of flowers, each flower two to four centimeters wide with a spur measuring nearly two centimeters in length. The flowers usually have sepals of a brilliant dark blue, with the lower two petals the same color and the upper two petals white. Some individuals have sepals and petals of very light purple or blue to almost white. The anthers are often yellow.
Baker's larkspur (Delphinium bakeri) is a perennial herb in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It is an endangered species native to California (USA), the current single known population being estimated at 35 individuals.
This rare species grows from a thickened, tuber-like, fleshy cluster of roots, to a height of 70 cm (26 inches). The leaves occur primarily along the upper third of the stem and are green at the time the plant flowers.
The flowers are irregularly shaped. It has five conspicuous sepals, bright dark blue or purplish, with the rear sepal elongated into a spur. The inconspicuous petals occur in two pairs. The lower pair is oblong and blue-purple, the upper pair oblique and white.Seeds are produced in several dry, many-seeded fruits that split open at maturity on only one side. The species flowers from April through May.
Baker's larkspur grows on decomposed shale within coastal scrub plant community. Historically, it was known from Coleman Valley in Sonoma County and from near Tomales in Marin County, California.
In July 2002, county-hired road crews mowing weeds in the critical habitat area cut down 30 to 50 Baker's larkspurs. At the time, scientists speculated that may have wiped the plant out.
In October 2004, the plant was nearly wiped out of existence by county workers using heavy machinery to unclog a roadside drain. The location was the species' sole habitat, and the unwitting workers reduced the population from 100 plants to just 5 within minutes. But "a researcher from UC Berkeley has, for the past 3 years, been assessing the genetics of the plants and, luckily as it turns out, got permission to collect a limited amount of seed in 2004 before the back-hoe action."
Delphinium gracilentum is a species of larkspur known by the common name pine forest larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it grows throughout the Sierra Nevada. This wildflower is usually around half a meter in maximum height, with leaves growing from the lowest third of the stem. The leaves usually have five lobes. The upper part of the stem is occupied by widely spaced flowers, which each grow at the end of a pedicel a few centimeters long. The flower color may be any shade of blue, or occasionally white or pinkish. The sepals often curl backwards. The spur is usually between one and one and a half centimeters long.
Delphinium gypsophilum is a species of larkspur known by the common name Pinoche Creek larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it grows throughout the central part of the state in woodland and grassland. This wildflower generally reaches between one half and one meter in height. Its pale whitish-green stem is topped with cylindrical inflorescences of up to 30 flowers on short pedicels. The flowers are chalk-white, sometimes drying to a faint blue. Occasional individuals bear pink or light blue flowers. The spur is one to one and a half centimeters long.
Delphinium hesperium is a species of larkspur known by the common name foothill larkspur. It is also sometimes called western larkspur and coastal larkspur, but these names are less specific since other species share them. It is endemic to California, where it grows in woodland and grassland in the northern half of the state. This wildflower generally reaches one half to one meter in height. It has deeply lobed, prominently veined leaves, mostly located near the base of the plant. The inflorescence may hold very few to over 100 flowers, each on a long, thick pedicel. The flowers are usually a brilliant blue or purple, and sometimes lighter pinkish to white. Often the sepals are dark in color and the petals lighter. The spur is about one to two centimeters long
Delphinium hansenii is a species of larkspur known by the common names Eldorado larkspur and Hansen's delphinium. It is endemic to California, where it grows in mountains, valleys, and desert from the southern Cascade Range to the Mojave Desert. This wildflower usually grows between one half and one meter in height, although it can grow much taller. The deeply lobed leaves are hairy, especially on the undersides. The inflorescence has usually over 25 flowers grouped close together at the top of the stem and held on long pedicels. The flowers are white to light blue or light pink, or bicolored, and vary in size. The inner petals may be quite hairy.
Delphinium purpusii is a rare species of larkspur known by the common names Kern County larkspur and rose-flowered larkspur. It is endemic to California where it is known only from Kern and Tulare Counties in the region where the Sierra Nevada meets the Mojave Desert. It grows on rocky cliffs and talus. This wildflower reaches between one half and one meter in height. The erect thin stem has deeply lobed leaves around the base and a small, narrow inflorescence of generally ten to 20 flowers at the top. The flowers of this species are bright pink, making it unusual among the mainly blue-flowered plants of this genus. The sepals curl either forward or back.
Delphinium hutchinsoniae is a rare species of larkspur known by the common names Monterey larkspur and Hutchinson's larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from Monterey County. This wildflower reaches a meter in height but is usually shorter. The leaves are divided into lobes which are further divided into smaller lobes, and they are mostly located low on the plant. The top of the thin, erect stem is occupied by an inflorescence of not more than ten flowers. Each flower has sepals which are brilliant purple or blue to lavender, two petals which are the same color, and two upper petals which are usually white. The spur is up to two centimeters long and curves down at the tip.
Delphinium recurvatum is a species of larkspur known by the common names Byron larkspur, recurved larkspur, and valley larkspur. It is endemic to California, where most of its historical range is in the Central Valley. The grasslands of the valley have been mostly claimed for development and agriculture, so this species is now uncommon. This wildflower reaches a maximum height of about half a meter. Its deeply lobed leaves are mainly basal, with those located further up the dark purple stem being much smaller. The flowers are generally blue, with the sepals and lower petals darker than the upper petals. The sepals are usually curved back, the trait which gives the plant its name.
Delphinium glaucum is a species of larkspur known by the common names Sierra larkspur, mountain larkspur, and glaucous larkspur. This wildflower is native to western North America from Arizona to Alaska. It grows in moist mountainous environments, such as riverbanks and meadows. This plant sprouts one to several tall, stout, pale green erect stems which may approach three meters in height. The lobed leaves are generally found only at the base of the plant. The top of the stem is a large inflorescence which may itself be over a meter long. It usually contains over fifty widely spaced flowers, with each flower on a pedicel a few centimeters long. The sepals are flat and extend to the sides or point forward. The sepals and petals are dark blue to deep purple, although the top two petals may be lighter in color to almost white. They may be somewhat wrinkly. The spur is about two centimeters long.
Delphinium californicum is a species of larkspur known as California larkspur. This wildflower is endemic to California, where it is a resident of the chaparral slopes of the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast. It has a long root from which it erects tall stems usually exceeding a meter in height and often approaching two meters. The leaves arise on long petioles and are each divided into as many as 15 fingerlike pointed lobes. The top of the stem is occupied with a very large inforescence usually containing over 50 flowers. Each flower rises on a pedicel several centimeters long. The sepal point forward to make a cup out of the mouth of the somewhat tubular flower. The longest sepals are about a centimeter long and the spur of the flower may approach two centimeters in length. The flower is generally white to greenish white to light lavender
The endangered flower Delphinium luteum, the yellow larkspur, is a perennial of the buttercup family which is endemic to the rocky, foggy hillsides of coastal Sonoma County,California. There are probably fewer than 100 individuals left in existence. This rare plants is a small herb bearing bright yellow cornucopia-shaped flowers.
The plant was never distributed beyond the coastal area of Sonoma and Marin Counties, and has never been abundant. Activities in the area including quarrying, grazing, agriculture, and development further reduced the population of yellow larkspur to its current near extinction. It has been listed as an endangered species since the 1970s. Extremely isolated patches of the plant still exist on private property near Bodega Bay, where it is protected.
Yellow larkspur is pollinated by hummingbirds and insects, and often hybridizes with two other Delphinium species if it receives their pollen. However, pure unhybridized individuals of yellow larkspur exist and the genetic diversity within the species is high. More recent conservation attempts have focused on specifically preserving the yellow larkspur species.
A closely related flower in this region, Baker's larkspur, is also critically endangered, and the two species are often studied together.
Delphinium staphisagria is a perennial plant of the family Ranunculaceae. This plant is also known as Lice-Bane or Stavesacre. All parts of this plant are highly toxic and should not be ingested in any quantity. The plant has purple flowers, May to August. It grows about 1 meter with thin green stems.
Propagation: Seeds can be sown directly into the soil, April to mid summer. Sow 8 inches apart. Delphinium trolliifolium is a species of larkspur known by the common names poison delphinium, cow poison, and Columbian larkspur. It is native to Oregon and northern California. This wildflower reaches one half to just over one meter in height. It has large, shiny, deeply lobed leaves. The top half of the stem is an inflorescence of widely spaced flowers on long pedicels, the longest over nine centimeters long. The flowers are usually deep brilliant blue. The upper two petals may be milky white. The spur exceeds two centimeters in length in the largest of the flowers. This plant is toxic as the common names suggest, but most larkspur species are toxic to some degree.
Delphinium nudicaule is a flowering plant known by the common names red larkspur, orange larkspur, and canyon delphinium. It sends up long, stringy thin stems with few leaves and bears attractive larkspur flowers in shades of red and orange. It is native to the low elevation canyons, foothills, and slopes of California and Oregon. The flowers attract hummingbirds. The root of the plant has been historically used as a medicinal narcotic, chiefly by the Mendocino Native Americans.
Delphinium variegatum is a species of larkspur known by the common name royal larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it grows in mountains, valley, and coast in woodlands and grasslands. This erect wildflower may reach half a meter in maximum height. Its leaves have deep lobes which may overlap. The long petioles are hairy. The branching inflorescence holds fewer than 25 widely spaced flowers, which are usually bright deep blue, and occasionally lighter blue. The spur is between one and two centimeters long. There are three subspecies, at least one of which is quite rare.
Delphinium nuttallianum is a species of larkspur known by the common names twolobe larkspur and Nuttall's larkspur. It is widely distributed across western North America from California to Mexico. This wildflower has a white to pink erect stem usually not exceeding half a meter in height which may branch several times. Deeply lobed leaves are located mostly about the base of the plant. The inflorescence occupying the top end of the stem has few widely-spaced flowers on long pedicels. The sepals are long and curl backwards or fold upon themselves. They may be dark purple to light blue. The lower petals are the same color, while the upper are often white. The spur is one or two centimeters long.
Delphinium patens is a species of larkspur known by the common names zigzag larkspur and spreading larkspur. It is a wildflower found almost exclusively in the state of California. It grows a long, thin stem with leaves restricted to the lower half. It bears inflorescences of small dark blue or deep purple larkspur flowers with petals each less than a centimeter long.
Plants grow typically 20-50 cm tall are glabrous to puberulent with stems that have reddish bases. Leaves mostly on the bottom 1/3 of stem of the flowering stems and along with 1 to 3 basal leaves at blooming plus 2 to 4 stem leaves. The leaves are rounded to pentagonal shaped with 3 to 9 lobes. Flowers have dark blue colored sepals that are glabrous, the lateral sepals reflexed. The flowers have 4-8 mm straight spurs ascending 30° above horizontal. The flower clefts 1-3 mm long with hairs centered on base of cleft or on the inner lobes, the hairs are scattered, white in color or rarely yellow. Seeds produced in fruits that are 12-23 mm long and 3.3-3.6 times longer than wide, the fruits are glabrous or puberulent. Each blooming stem produces from 4 to 25 flowers, sometimes up to 36. The seeds are unwinged, and most often with pitted seed coats.
There are three subspecies:
Delphinium patens subsp. hepaticoideum
Delphinium patens subsp. montanum
Delphinium patens subsp. patens
Delphinium parryi is a species of larkspur known by the common names San Bernardino larkspur and Parry's larkspur. It is native to Baja California and California from the San Francisco Bay Area south. This wildflower may approach a meter in maximum height. It has fuzzy stems and fuzzy, deeply lobed leaves. The inflorescence holds a few to over 60 flowers on long pedicels. The sepals and petals are deep purple to light blue, with the upper petals often white. The spur may be over two centimeters long.
Desert larkspur (Delphinium parishii) is a flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae (the buttercup family) native to the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States and northwest Mexico, where it is found between 300–2500 m altitude in California,Arizonia, southwestern Utah, and Baja California.
It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing to 17-60 cm tall, rarely to 100 cm tall, with palmately lobed leaves. The flowers vary across the species' range, from dark blue to purplish near Joshua Tree National Park, sky-blue in the eastern and northern parts of the desert, and pink in some areas in California. Flowering occurs between April and June. It is also found in the Tehachapi Mountains.
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