Field ManualAll plants

A Delphinium (genus photo)Photo: Reinhold Möller Ermell, via Wikimedia CommonsLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0

Larkspur

Delphinium

Family: Ranunculaceae

  • Tall Spike Flower
  • Cottage Garden Classic

Pet & Human Safety

People: Not researchedPets: Toxic to pets

People: not researched yet.

Toxic to pets
Toxic to pets

Toxic to dogs, cats, and horses per ASPCA: toxic principle is diterpene alkaloids, affecting flowers, leaves, seeds, and stems (essentially the whole plant). Clinical signs include neuromuscular paralysis: constipation, colic, increased salivation, muscle tremors, stiffness, weakness, recumbency, and convulsions; cardiac failure and death from respiratory paralysis are possible in severe cases. ASPCA notes the plant generally becomes less toxic as it matures, and that horses typically don't eat toxic amounts unless suitable forage is lacking: but this is one of the more seriously toxic common flowering plants, and NC State Extension independently confirms toxicity to dogs, cats, and horses with specific named alkaloids (delphinine, ajacine, and others).

PlotAndPetal cannot tell you whether a plant you found can be eaten. Only someone who can see the plant can identify it.

Poison control

If someone has collapsed, cannot be woken, is having a seizure or has trouble breathing, call 911 now. For any other possible poisoning, call Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222.

Emergency number source: U.S. federal law (47 U.S.C. § 251(e)(3)), read 2026-10-07.

Naturalist Lore

Historical Background & Breeding Lore

The history of this plant and its name, and how it was bred, where we have them.

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Care

Hardiness zones

3a - 9b (NC State Extension)

Mature size

Can be grown in spaces less than 12 in wide, though flower spikes rise well above the foliage clump.

Where it comes from

Eastern and northern Asia, with related species also native to Europe, Africa, and North and Central America

Soil & Drainage
Pruning & Flush Rhythm
Feeding Schedule

How to prepare the soil, when and what to feed, and how and when to prune where that applies.

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Anatomy & Guilds

Botanical Anatomy & Characteristics

How the flowers and leaves are built and which pollinators visit, where we have them.

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Field Doctor

Field Doctor

What can go wrong with this plant and what to do about it, where we have them.

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Vintage Plates

Vintage Plates

Old botanical drawings from public libraries are in the app, for plants where we have them.

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Sources

  1. NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, Delphinium (Delphinium, Larkspur, Staggerweed)
  2. ASPCA, Toxic and Non-toxic Plants: Larkspur (direct genus match, "Delphinium species")

How we choose sources

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