''Delphinium'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of about 300

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 ...

of annual and perennial

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Ranunculaceae Ranunculaceae (buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin "little frog", from "frog") is a family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide. The largest genera are ''Ranunculus'' (600 species), ''Delphinium' ...

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

throughout the Northern Hemisphere and also on the high mountains of tropical Africa. The genus was erected by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

. All members of the genus ''Delphinium'' are toxic to humans and livestock. The common name larkspur is shared between perennial ''Delphinium'' species and annual species of the genus ''

Consolida ''Consolida'' is a genus of about 40 species of annual flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native to western Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia. Phylogenetic studies show that ''Consolida'' is actually an annual clade nested within the ...

''. Molecular data show that ''Consolida'', as well as another segregate genus, ''Aconitella'', are both embedded in ''Delphinium''. The genus name ''Delphinium'' derives from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

word () which means "

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

", a name used in ''

De Materia Medica (Latin name for the Greek work , , both meaning "On Medical Material") is a pharmacopoeia of medicinal plants and the medicines that can be obtained from them. The five-volume work was written between 50 and 70 CE by Pedanius Dioscorides, a ...

'' for some kind of larkspur.

Pedanius Dioscorides Pedanius Dioscorides ( grc-gre, Πεδάνιος Διοσκουρίδης, ; 40–90 AD), “the father of pharmacognosy”, was a Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist, and author of ''De materia medica'' (, On Medical Material) —a 5-vol ...

said the plant got its name because of its dolphin-shaped flowers.

Habitat

Species with short stems and few flowers such as ''

Delphinium nuttallianum ''Delphinium nuttallianum'' is a species of larkspur known by the common names twolobe larkspur, Nuttall's larkspur, and common larkspur. It is widely distributed across western North America from California to Alberta, including mountain meado ...

'' and ''

Delphinium bicolor ''Delphinium bicolour'' is a species of larkspur known as little larkspur and low larkspur. It is native to northwestern North America from British Columbia to South Dakota, where it grows in mountain forests and foothill scrub and prairie. This ...

'' appear in habitats like prairies and the

sagebrush steppe Sagebrush steppe is a type of shrub-steppe, a plant community characterized by the presence of shrubs, and usually dominated by sagebrush, any of several species in the genus ''Artemisia''.Delphinium occidentale ''Delphinium occidentale'', the western larkspur, is a perennial plant in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) with purple flowers.Great Basin Wildflowers, Laird R. Blackwell, 2006, Morris Book Publishing LLC., It grows along streambanks and moi ...

'', appear more often in forests.

Description

The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are deeply lobed with three to seven toothed, pointed lobes in a palmate shape. The main flowering stem is erect, and varies greatly in size between the species, from 10 centimetres in some

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

species, up to 2 m tall in the larger

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...

land species. In June and July (Northern Hemisphere), the plant is topped with a

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

of many

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s, varying in colour from purple and blue, to red, yellow, or white. The flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and have many

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s. In most species each flower consists of five petal-like

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s which grow together to form a hollow pocket with a spur at the end, which gives the plant its name, usually more or less dark blue. Within the sepals are four true

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s, small, inconspicuous, and commonly coloured similarly to the sepals. The eponymous long spur of the upper sepal encloses the nectar-containing spurs of the two upper petals. The

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s are small and often shiny black. The plants flower from late spring to late summer, and are pollinated by

butterflies Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

and bumble bees. Despite the toxicity, ''Delphinium'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species, including the dot moth and

small angle shades The small angle shades (''Euplexia lucipara'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout the Palearctic. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. As the common name ...

Taxonomy

Delineation of ''Delphinium''

Genetic analysis suggests that ''Delphinium'' ''sensu lato'', as it was delineated before the 21st century, is polyphyletic. Nested within ''Delphinium'' ''s.l.'' are ''Aconitella'', ''

'', and ''

Aconitum ''Aconitum'' (), also known as aconite, monkshood, wolf's-bane, leopard's bane, mousebane, women's bane, devil's helmet, queen of poisons, or blue rocket, is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Ranunculaceae. ...

''. To make ''Delphinium''

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

, several interventions were made. The new genus '' Staphisagria'' was erected containing ''Staphisagria macrosperma'' (''D. staphisagria''), ''S. requienii'' (''D. requini'') and ''S. picta'' (''D. pictum''), representing the

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

to all other Delphinieae. Further genetic analysis has shown that the two large subgenera ''Aconitum (Aconitum)'' and ''Aconitum (Lycoctonum)'' are the sister group to ''Aconitum gymnandrum'', ''Delphinium (Delphinium)'', ''Delphinium (Delphinastrum)'', ''Consolida'' and ''Aconitella''. To make ''Aconitum''

, ''A. gymnandrum'' has now been reassigned to a new

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus, ''

Gymnaconitum ''Gymnaconitum'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Ranunculaceae Ranunculaceae (buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin "little frog", from "frog") is a family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, di ...

''. Finally, ''Consolida'' and ''Aconitella'' are synonymized with ''Delphinium''.

Subgenera

''D. arthriscifolium'' is sister to all other species of ''Delphinium'' ''sensu stricto'' (so excluding ''Staphisagria''). It should be placed in its own subgenus, but no proposal naming this subgenus has been made yet. The subgenera ''Delphinium (Delphinium)'' and ''Delphinium (Delphinastrum)'' are sister to the group consisting of the species of ''Consolida'' and ''Aconitella'', which together make up the subgenus ''Delphinium (Consolida)''. ''Aconitella'' cannot be retained as a subgenus because ''A. barbata'' does not cluster with the remaining species previously assigned to that genus, without creating five further subgenera.

Selected species

Species include: * '' Delphinium andersonii'' * ''

Delphinium arthriscifolium ''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 ...

'' * '' Delphinium bakeri'' * ''

Delphinium barbeyi ''Delphinium barbeyi'' is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common names subalpine larkspur, tall larkspur, and Barbey's larkspur. It is native to the interior western United States, where it occurs in the states o ...

'' * '' Delphinium bicolour'' * ''

Delphinium brunonianum ''Delphinium brunonianum'', common name musk larkspur, is a species of larkspur belonging to the family Ranunculaceae Ranunculaceae (buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin "little frog", from "frog") is a family of over 2,000 known species of ...

'' * ''

Delphinium californicum ''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 fr ...

'' * '' Delphinium calthifolium'' * ''

Delphinium cardinale ''Delphinium cardinale'' is a species of larkspur known by the common names scarlet larkspur and cardinal larkspur. This wildflower is native to California and Baja California, where it grows on coastal, inland, and desert chaparral slopes, su ...

'' * ''

Delphinium carolinianum ''Delphinium carolinianum'', commonly known as Carolina larkspur, is a species of perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family. It is native to central and eastern North America, where it is found in prairies and rocky glades. It produces b ...

'' * '' Delphinium cheilanthum'' * ''

Delphinium consolida ''Consolida regalis'', known as forking larkspur, rocket-larkspur, and field larkspur, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the genus ''Consolida'' of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). Distribution ''Consolida regalis'' is native to: ...

'' * ''

Delphinium decorum ''Delphinium decorum'' is a species of larkspur known by the common names coastal larkspur and yellow-tinge larkspur. This wildflower is native to California and Oregon, where it grows on the slopes of the coastal ranges from the San Francisc ...

'' * '' Delphinium denudatum'' * ''

Delphinium depauperatum ''Delphinium depauperatum'' is a species of larkspur known by the common names slim larkspur and dwarf larkspur. This wildflower is native to western North America where it is found in mountain meadows. It grows from a short root and erects a st ...

'' * '' Delphinium elatum'' * ''

Delphinium exaltatum ''Delphinium exaltatum'', known by the common name tall larkspur, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Delphinium'', part of the buttercup family. Other ''Delphinium'' species are also commonly known as tall larkspur, such as ''Delphini ...

'' * '' Delphinium formosum'' * '' Delphinium glaucum'' * '' Delphinium gracilentum'' * ''

Delphinium grandiflorum ''Delphinium grandiflorum'' is a species of ''Delphinium'' known by the common names Siberian larkspur and Chinese Delphinium. It is native to Russia and China. There are several popular cultivars in several colours which are grown as ornamental ...

'' * ''

Delphinium gypsophilum ''Delphinium gypsophilum'' is a species of larkspur known by the common name gypsum-loving larkspur or Panoche Creek larkspur (frequently misspelled as Pinoche Creek larkspur). It is endemic to California, where it grows in low mountains in the ...

'' * '' Delphinium hansenii'' * ''

Delphinium hesperium ''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 C ...

'' * ''

Delphinium hutchinsoniae ''Delphinium hutchinsoniae'' is a rare species of Delphinium, larkspur known by the common names Monterey larkspur and Hutchinson's larkspur. It is Endemism, endemic to California,Smith, James P. Jr, "A Checklist of Vascular Plants Endemic to Cal ...

'' * ''

Delphinium hybridum Garden delphiniums are horticultural hybrids derived from some perennial species in the genus ''Delphinium''. Breeding of garden delphiniums started from the 19th century in Western Europe. In the 20th century, the United States, Japan and New ...

'' * '' Delphinium inopinum'' * ''

Delphinium ithaburense ''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 ...

'' * '' Delphinium leucophaeum'' * ''

Delphinium luteum ''Delphinium luteum'', known by the common name yellow larkspur, is a species of small perennial herb in the buttercup family bearing bright yellow cornucopia-shaped flowers. Endemic to the rocky, foggy hillsides of coastal Sonoma County, Califor ...

'' * ''

Delphinium malabaricum ''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 ...

'' * ''

Delphinium nudicaule ''Delphinium nudicaule'', known by the common names canyon larkspur, red larkspur, orange larkspur, and canyon delphinium, is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is native to low-elevation canyons and ...

'' * ''

Delphinium occidentale ''Delphinium occidentale'', the western larkspur, is a perennial plant in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) with purple flowers.Great Basin Wildflowers, Laird R. Blackwell, 2006, Morris Book Publishing LLC., It grows along streambanks and moi ...

'' * ''

Delphinium parishii ''Delphinium parishii'', the desert larkspur, is a flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae (the buttercup family) native to the Mojave Desert, in the southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. In Southern California it is also found i ...

'' * ''

Delphinium parryi ''Delphinium parryi'' is a species of larkspur known by the common names San Bernardino larkspur and Parry's larkspur. This wildflower is native to Baja California and California from the San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, ...

'' * '' Delphinium patens'' * ''

Delphinium pavonaceum ''Delphinium pavonaceum'' ( syn. ''Delphinium'' × ''pavonaceum'') is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name peacock larkspur. It is endemic to Oregon in the United States, where it is limited to the Willame ...

'' * ''

Delphinium peregrinum ''Delphinium peregrinum'', also commonly known as violet larkspur, is a Eurasian flowering plant, belonging to the genus ''Delphinium'', endemic to Turkey, the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Irano-Turanian region, bearing an erect, annual ste ...

'' * ''

Delphinium polycladon ''Delphinium polycladon'' is a species of larkspur known by the common name mountain marsh larkspur. It is native to the High Sierra Nevada and the White and Inyo Mountains of eastern California and far western Nevada, where it grows in wet sit ...

'' * '' Delphinium purpusii'' * '' Delphinium recurvatum'' * ''

Delphinium robustum ''Delphinium robustum'' is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common names Wahatoya Creek larkspur and robust larkspur. It is native to Colorado and New Mexico in the United States.Delphinium scopulorum'' * ''

Delphinium stachydeum ''Delphinium stachydeum'' is a species of larkspur known by the common name spiked larkspur. It is native to the Pacific Northwest and Great Basin of the United States, where it grows in sagebrush scrub and along the edges of mountain forest hab ...

'' * ''

Delphinium tricorne ''Delphinium tricorne'', known by the common names dwarf larkspur or spring larkspur, is a species of flowering plant in the Ranunculaceae (buttercup) family. It is native to the central and eastern United States, where it is the most common ''De ...

'' * ''

Delphinium trolliifolium ''Delphinium trolliifolium'' is a species of larkspur known by the common names poison delphinium, cow poison, and Columbian larkspur. It is native to Washington, Oregon, and northern California. This wildflower reaches one half to just over one ...

'' * ''

Delphinium uliginosum ''Delphinium uliginosum'' is a species of larkspur known by the common names swamp larkspur and bog larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it is known from very localized populations in the Inner North Coast Ranges. It grows in chaparral, ...

'' * '' Delphinium umbraculorum'' * ''

Delphinium variegatum ''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. On the forest floor of California oak woodlands t ...

'' * ''

Delphinium viridescens ''Delphinium viridescens'' is a species of flowering plant in the Ranunculaceae, buttercup family known by the common name Wenatchee larkspur. It is Endemism, endemic to central Washington (state), Washington state in the United States, where it ...

Reassigned species

Several species of ''Delphinium'' have been reassigned: * ''D. pictum'' = ''

Staphisagria picta ''Staphisagria'' is a genus in the family Ranunculaceae. It used to be a subgenus or section in the genus ''Delphinium'', but molecular evidence suggests it should be a genus. However, the separation is not accepted by other sources, which treat ...

'' * ''D. requienii'' = ''

Staphisagria requienii ''Staphisagria'' is a genus in the family Ranunculaceae. It used to be a subgenus or section in the genus ''Delphinium'', but molecular evidence suggests it should be a genus. However, the separation is not accepted by other sources, which treat ...

'' * ''D. staphisagria'' = ''

Staphisagria macrosperma ''Staphisagria macrosperma'', formerly known as ''Delphinium staphisagria'', is a species of '' Staphisagria'' of the family Ranunculaceae. It used to belong to the subgenus or section ''Staphisagria'' of the genus ''Delphinium'', but molecular e ...

Ecology

Delphiniums can attract

and other

pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the maj ...

Cultivation

Various delphiniums are cultivated as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s, for traditional and

native plant In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equ ...

gardens. The numerous hybrids and cultivars are primarily used as garden plants, providing height at the back of the summer border, in association with roses, lilies, and geraniums. Most delphinium

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

s and

cultivars A cultivar is a type of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and when Plant propagation, propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and st ...

are derived from ''D. elatum''. Hybridisation was developed in the 19th century, led by

Victor Lemoine Pierre Louis Victor Lemoine (October 21, 1823 in Delme, Moselle - December 11, 1911) was a celebrated and prolific French flower breeder who, among other accomplishments, created many of today's lilac varieties. As a result of his accomplishm ...

in France. Other hybrid crosses have included ''D. bruninianum'', ''D. cardinale'', ''D. cheilanthum'', and ''D. formosum''. Numerous cultivars have been selected as garden plants, and for cut flowers and floristry. They are available in shades of white, pink, purple, and blue. The blooming plant is also used in displays and specialist competitions at flower and garden shows, such as the

Chelsea Flower Show The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the ''Great Spring Show'',Phil Clayton, ''The Great Temple Show'' in ''The Garden'' 2008, p.452, The Royal Horticultural Society is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural ...

. The 'Pacific Giant' hybrids are a group with individual single-colour cultivar names, developed by Reinelt in the United States. They typically grow to tall on long stems, by wide. They reportedly can tolerate deer. Millennium delphinium hybrids, bred by Dowdeswell's in New Zealand, are reportedly better in warmer climates than the Pacific hybrids. Flower colours in shades of red, orange, and pink have been hybridized from ''D. cardinale'' by Americans Reinelt and Samuelson.

Award of garden merit

The following delphinium cultivars have received the

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

from the British

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Toxicity

All parts of these plants are considered toxic to humans, especially the younger parts, causing severe digestive discomfort if ingested, and skin irritation. Larkspur, especially tall larkspur, is a significant cause of cattle poisoning on

rangeland Rangelands are grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that are grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas ...

s in the western United States. Larkspur is more common in high-elevation areas, and many ranchers delay moving cattle onto such ranges until late summer when the toxicity of the plants is reduced. Death is through cardiotoxic and neuromuscular blocking effects, and can occur within a few hours of ingestion. All parts of the plant contain various diterpenoid

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

s, typified by

methyllycaconitine Methyllycaconitine (MLA) is a diterpenoid alkaloid found in many species of ''Delphinium'' (larkspurs). In common with many other diterpenoid alkaloids, it is toxic to animals, although the acute toxicity varies with species. Early research was f ...

, and are very poisonous.

Uses

The juice of the flowers, particularly ''D. consolida'', mixed with

alum An alum () is a type of chemical compound, usually a hydrated double salt, double sulfate salt (chemistry), salt of aluminium with the general chemical formula, formula , where is a valence (chemistry), monovalent cation such as potassium or a ...

, gives a blue

ink Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thi ...

. All plant parts are poisonous in large doses, especially the seeds, that contain up to 1.4% of alkaloids.

References

External links

GRIN: Species in the genus ''Delphinium'
— ''with links by species for information + synonyms''.

— ''native U.S. species and grazing toxicity''.
MBG—Kemper Center for Home Gardening: Delphinium "Pacific Giant Hybrids"
— ''horticultural information''.

— ''horticultural information''. {{Authority control Delphinieae Garden plants Medicinal plants Ranunculaceae genera Poisonous plants