Delphinium californicum

California larkspur

Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: perennial · Native

California larkspur is a native perennial found in California's coastal ranges and central western mountains in mixed evergreen forests and chaparral at elevations from 100 to 500 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces lavender to white flowers with distinctive forward-pointing sepals. Growing 1 to 2 meters tall with multiple stems that are generally puberulent and somewhat branched, it develops prominent rootstock buds. Its leaves have 3 to 15 deeply cut lobes ranging from 5 to 60 millimeters wide, creating an intricate delicate foliage structure. The plant produces elongated fruits 11 to 16 millimeters long with seeds covered in overlapping scales.

California counties: Monterey, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, Marin, Santa Barbara

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.