Delphinium polycladon
High mountain larkspur
Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: perennial · Native
High mountain larkspur is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada and White and Inyo Mountains along stream-banks and wet talus slopes at elevations of 2,200 to 3,600 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces deep blue to purple flowers with distinctive spurs 11 to 22 millimeters long. Growing with multiple robust stems 80 to 120 centimeters tall that are completely glabrous, it emerges from a prominent root system over 15 centimeters deep. Its leaves are concentrated on the lower third of the stem, with broad lobes more than 6 millimeters wide and a glabrous surface. Each plant can produce clusters of 3 to 35 flowers with lateral sepals 12 to 18 millimeters long, creating striking displays in high mountain habitats.
Habitat: Stream-banks, wet talus
Bloom period: Jul-Sep
Elevation: 2200-3600 m
Bioregions: SNH, W&I.
California counties: Fresno, Mono, Humboldt, Tulare, Inyo, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Alpine, El Dorado, Madera, Kern, Plumas
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.