California Larkspur

California larkspur is a protruding perennial herb with tall stems typically exceeding a meter in length, though they can grow up to 2 meters. From the long root sprout multiple tall brownish-red to green stems, which, in turn, sprout long stems, or petioles, from which the leaves emerge. Each leaf is divided into many deep, but narrow, pointed lobes etched with veins. The lobes can number at most fifteen, though typically there are a few larger lobes with many smaller lobes on them. At the end of each stem blooms a large flower spike, measuring up to half a meter long. The many fuzzy flowers emerge from the central stem on short stems, several centimeters long. Each flower is closed in whitish-purple or whitish green pod-like sepals, which extend back to form a horn. Once they bloom, the downy flowers are pea-like, hard to distinguish because of their hairiness. The inflorescence is sometimes branches in the lower portions.

Basic Information

• Member of the Ranunculaceae, buttercup, family

• Perennial herb

• There are two recognized subspecies:

  • Delphinium californicum var. californicum

  • Delphinium californicum var. interius

Habitat

• Native to the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast

  • Endemic to California

• Primarily found in chaparral ecosystems, growing on slopes and in ravine

Ecological Role

• Supports pollinators

Reproduction

• Blooms from May to June

Alternative Names

• California Coast Larkspur