Delphinium is a genus of about 300 species of annual and perennial in the family Ranunculaceae, native species throughout the Northern Hemisphere and also on the high mountains of tropical Africa. The genus was erected by Carl Linnaeus.
All members of the genus Delphinium are toxic to humans and livestock.
The genus name Delphinium derives from the Ancient Greek word () which means "dolphin", a name used in De Materia Medica for some kind of larkspur.
Habitat
Species with short stems and few flowers such as
Delphinium nuttallianum and
Delphinium bicolor appear in habitats like prairies and the
sagebrush steppe. Tall and robust species with many flowers, such as
Delphinium occidentale, appear more often in forests.
Description
The
leaf are deeply lobed with three to seven toothed, pointed lobes in a
Leaf shape. The main flowering stem is erect, and varies greatly in size between the species, from 10 centimetres in some
alpine climate species, up to 2 m tall in the larger
species.
In June and July (Northern Hemisphere), the plant is topped with a raceme of many , varying in colour from purple and blue, to red, yellow, or white. The flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and have many .
The are small and often shiny black. The plants flower from late spring to late summer, and are pollinated by butterfly and . Despite the toxicity, Delphinium species are used as food plants by the of some Lepidoptera species, including the dot moth and small angle shades.
Taxonomy
Delineation of Delphinium
Genetic analysis suggests that
Delphinium sensu lato, as it was delineated before the 21st century, is
polyphyletic. Nested within
Delphinium s.l. are
Aconitella,
Consolida, and
Aconitum. To make
Delphinium monophyletic, several interventions were made. The new genus
Staphisagria was erected containing
Staphisagria macrosperma (
D. staphisagria),
S. requienii (
D. requini) and
S. picta (
D. pictum), representing the
sister group to all other Delphinieae.
Further genetic analysis has shown that the two large subgenera
Aconitum (Aconitum) and
Aconitum (Lycoctonum) are the sister group to
Aconitum gymnandrum,
Delphinium (Delphinium),
Delphinium (Delphinastrum),
Consolida and
Aconitella. To make
Aconitum monophyletic,
A. gymnandrum has now been reassigned to a new
monotypic genus,
Gymnaconitum. Finally,
Consolida and
Aconitella are synonymized with
Delphinium.
Subgenera
D. arthriscifolium is sister to all other species of
Delphinium sensu stricto (so excluding
Staphisagria). It should be placed in its own subgenus, but no proposal naming this subgenus has been made yet. The subgenera
Delphinium (Delphinium) and
Delphinium (Delphinastrum) are sister to the group consisting of the species of
Consolida and
Aconitella, which together make up the subgenus
Delphinium (Consolida).
Aconitella cannot be retained as a subgenus because
A. barbata does not cluster with the remaining species previously assigned to that genus, without creating five further subgenera.
Selected species
Species include:
-
Delphinium andersonii
-
Delphinium arthriscifolium
-
Delphinium bakeri
-
Delphinium barbeyi
-
Delphinium bicolor
-
Delphinium brunonianum
-
Delphinium californicum
-
Delphinium calthifolium
-
Delphinium cardinale
-
Delphinium carolinianum
-
Delphinium cheilanthum
-
Delphinium consolida
-
Delphinium decorum
-
Delphinium denudatum
-
Delphinium depauperatum
-
Delphinium elatum
-
Delphinium exaltatum
-
Delphinium formosum
-
Delphinium glaucum
-
Delphinium gracilentum
-
Delphinium grandiflorum
-
Delphinium gypsophilum
-
Delphinium hansenii
-
Delphinium hesperium
-
Delphinium hutchinsoniae
-
Delphinium hybridum
-
Delphinium inopinum
-
Delphinium ithaburense
-
Delphinium leucophaeum
-
Delphinium luteum
-
Delphinium malabaricum
-
Delphinium nudicaule
-
Delphinium nuttallianum
-
Delphinium occidentale
-
Delphinium parishii
-
Delphinium parryi
-
Delphinium patens
-
Delphinium pavonaceum
-
Delphinium peregrinum
-
Delphinium polycladon
-
Delphinium purpusii
-
Delphinium recurvatum
-
Delphinium robustum
-
Delphinium scopulorum
-
Delphinium stachydeum
-
Delphinium tricorne
-
Delphinium trolliifolium
-
Delphinium uliginosum
-
Delphinium umbraculorum
-
Delphinium variegatum
-
Delphinium viridescens
Reassigned species
Several species of
Delphinium have been reassigned:
-
D. pictum = Staphisagria picta
-
D. requienii = Staphisagria requienii
-
D. staphisagria = Staphisagria macrosperma
Ecology
Delphiniums can attract
butterflies and other
.
Cultivation
Various delphiniums are cultivated as
, for traditional and
native plant gardens. The numerous hybrids and cultivars are primarily used as garden plants, providing height at the back of the summer border, in association with roses, lilies, and geraniums.
Most delphinium hybrids and cultivars are derived from D. elatum. Hybridisation was developed in the 19th century, led by Victor Lemoine in France.
Numerous cultivars have been selected as garden plants, and for cut flowers and floristry. They are available in shades of white, pink, purple, and blue. The blooming plant is also used in displays and specialist competitions at flower and garden shows, such as the Chelsea Flower Show.
The 'Pacific Giant' hybrids are a group with individual single-colour cultivar names, developed by Reinelt in the United States. They typically grow to tall on long stems, by wide. They reportedly can tolerate deer.
Since 2024 the UK National Collection of delphiniums has been held by Colin Parton at Delph Cottage Garden, south east of Leeds. Parton has over 100 cultivars, 21 of which are on the endangered list on Plant Heritage's Threatened Plants Programme. He occasionally opens his garden to the public in return for a donation to the charity Cancer Research.
Award of garden merit
The following delphinium cultivars have received the Award of Garden Merit from the British Royal Horticultural Society:
Toxicity
All parts of these plants are considered toxic to humans, especially the younger parts,
causing severe digestive discomfort if ingested, and skin irritation.
Larkspur, especially tall larkspur, is a significant cause of cattle poisoning on
in the western United States.
Larkspur is more common in high-elevation areas, and many ranchers delay moving cattle onto such ranges until late summer when the toxicity of the plants is reduced.
Death is through cardiotoxic and neuromuscular blocking effects, and can occur within a few hours of ingestion.
All parts of the plant contain various
diterpenoid , typified by methyllycaconitine, and are very poisonous.
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Uses
The juice of the flowers, particularly D. consolida, mixed with alum, gives a blue ink.
All plant parts are poisonous in large doses, especially the seeds, that contain up to 1.4% of alkaloids.
External links
