Delphinium californicum
A Bay Area perennial with winter foliage clumps and 4-5 ft stalks of lavender-green flowers, needing half-day sun and no summer watering when dormant.
Common Names
California Larkspur, Coast Larkspur
Summary
California larkspur is an endemic California perennial herb native to chaparral slopes of the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast, with stout, leafy stems 2–7 ft tall arising from a long root and leaves palmately divided into multiple lobes. The top of the stem bears a very large inflorescence with over 50 flowers; sepals point forward and are lavender to greenish-white, on pedicels several centimeters long.
Grows best in sun with regular to low water and in rich, well-drained soil; it is deer resistant and suitable for cottage gardens, floriferous displays, and native plantings; hardy in USDA zones 8a–10b. Propagation by sowing seed; protection from snails and slugs recommended. Attracts hummingbirds and bees.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
2-7 ft
Spread
2 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 8a-10b
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun or partial shade.
Soil Type
Moist, rich, well-drained soil
Soil Drainage
Moist, well-drained soil.
Bloom Color
Lavender to greenish white
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Cannot determine growth rate from provided data.
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds
Attracts Wildlife
Bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, other pollinators (moths) likely attracted
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Torr. & A.Gray
- Publication
- Fl. N. Amer. 1: 31 (1838)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Ranunculales
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Genus
- Delphinium
Inferior Taxa
Delphinium californicum subsp. interius
Synonyms
Delphinium californicum var. laxiusculum Delphinium californicum f. longipilis Delphinium californicum var. scapigerum Delphinium exaltatum Delphinium exaltatum var. californicum Delphinium californicum subsp. californicum