Delphinium parishii

Desert larkspur

Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Desert larkspur is a California native perennial found in desert mountain ranges of southern California in rocky slopes and desert scrub at elevations of 600 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces deep blue to purple flowers with distinctive spurred petals arranged in compact clusters. Growing 15 to 45 centimeters tall with erect stems that are glabrous to slightly hairy, it emerges from a branched root system deeper than 15 centimeters. Its leaves are finely divided with narrow lobes less than 6 millimeters wide, creating a delicate, lacy appearance. The plant produces small fruits no longer than three times their width, with seeds featuring wavy cell margins.

California counties: San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Kern, Riverside, Inyo, Santa Barbara, Mono, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Imperial, San Diego, Ventura, Merced, Fresno, Nevada

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