Delphinium hansenii

Eldorado larkspur

Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Eldorado larkspur is a California native perennial found in foothill and lower montane habitats at elevations ranging from low to moderate heights. Flowering from spring to early summer, this plant produces blue to purple flowers with distinctive lateral sepals and a curved spur, forming dense clusters of over 12 blooms. Growing with erect stems 25 to 180 centimeters tall that are puberulent at the base, it develops a robust and branching structure. Its leaves are hairy, particularly on the undersides, with deeply divided blades featuring 3 to 18 intricate lobes that create a delicate, lacy appearance. The fruit develops as a distinctive seed pod 8 to 20 millimeters long, with seeds covered in fine prickly textures.

California counties: Tulare, El Dorado, Kern, Butte, Fresno, Tuolumne, Madera, Calaveras, Mariposa, Tehama, Amador, Contra Costa, Yolo, Sutter, Placer, Inyo, Yuba, Los Angeles, Solano, Sacramento, Stanislaus, Nevada, Alameda, Merced, San Luis Obispo

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