PLANT of the MONTH   ~~   JULY 2008
updated on or about the 1st of each month

SCARLET LARKSPUR Common Name(s): Scarlet Larkspur, Lady's Slipper Scientific Name: Delphinium cardinale Family: Ranunculaceae, Buttercup family Plant Type: Perennial herb Size: up to 6 feet high Common Habitat: chaparral and sage scrub along dry open slopes, away from immediate coast

With the hills turning browner as summer firmly establishes itself, it is nice to find the bright red flowers of Scarlet Larkspur. Blooming from May to July, the "spur" is a giveaway for identifying this plant. About one-to-two-inches long, the spur is actually one of its 5 sepals. Petals are mostly red, with 2 having yellow-tinges. Multiple flowers with stems about 2 inches long appear on this tall plant. Both basal leaves and alternating leaves appear along the stem, but by the time of blooming, they have withered and are not noticeable.

This plant's scientific names describe its shape and color - Delphinium for dolphin and cardinale for red. As may be guessed, hummingbirds are the primary pollinators. You may have also seen the much shorter Blue Larkspur, Delphinium parryi, in our mountains. The roots of both larkspurs are poisonous - native people would use the plant to drug their opponents, and it is also known to poison cattle. Of more beneficial use, the flowers were used to make a remedy for head lice, scabies and similar ailments.

Contributed by Liz Baumann

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REFERENCES:
Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains, by Milt McAuley
Flowering Plants: The Santa Monica Mountains, Coastal and Chaparral Regions of Southern California, by Nancy Dale
Roadside Plants of Southern California, by Thomas J. Belzer
California Native Plants for the Garden, by Carol Bornstein, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien
California Herbal Remedies, by LoLo Westrich