Larkspur (Delphinium glaucum) is a tall (4 to 6 foot high), robust plant. The main stem, which is frequently purplish, is topped by many purplish-blue flowers. Its leaves are 3-5 deeply toothed pointed lobes. It is a member of the buttercup (ranunculus) family and cultivated as a garden plant in Europe. With cultivated larkspur, white and pink flowers are found as well.

Other names are delphinium, lark's heel (Shakespeare), lark's claw and knight's spur. The scientific name is taken from Dioscorides and describes the shape of the bud, which is thought to look like a (rather fat) dolphin.

Five little leaves grow together together to form one hollow flower with a spur at the end, which gives the plant its name. The seeds are small and shiny black. The plants flower from June to the end of August. It is fertilized by butterflies and bumble bees.

Gerard's herbal tells us that drinking the seed of larkspur was thought to help against the stings of scorpions, and that other poisonous animals could not move when covered by the herb, but does not believe it himself. Grieve's herbal tells us the seeds can be used against parasites, especially lice and their nits in the hair. A tincture is used against asthma and dropsy. The juice of the flowers, mixed with alum gives a blue ink.

The forking larkspur (Delphinium consolida) prefers chalky loams. It grows wild in cornfields, but has become very rare nowadays. The flowers are commonly purple, but a white variety exists as well. The seeds contain an alkaloid (Delphinin) and are slightly poisonous. They cause vomiting when eaten.

The plant was connected to Ste. Odile and in popular medicine used against eye-diseases. It was one of the herbs used on the feast of St. John and us such warded against lightning. In Transsylvania, it was used to keep witches from the stables, probably because of its blue colour.

Larkspur on high mountain rangelands in central Utah.

Baker's larkspur (Delphinium bakeri) is native to California and is a highly endangered species.

References

• U.S. Parks Service: Common Plants of Lake Clark (http://www.nps.gov/lacl/plants/larkspur.htm)

Larkspur is also the name of a town in California, USA and a radio system previously used in the British Army.