Mineral Wildflower Festival

Technical Name

• Delphinium nuttallianum (or closely related montane species like Delphinium depauperatum)

Informal Names

• Nuttall's larkspur

• Two-lobe larkspur

• Meadow larkspur

• Low larkspur

Key Characteristics

• The Backward Spur: The most prominent feature of each flower is the long, hollow, cone-shaped nectar spur that juts straight out of the back of the blossom, resembling a pointed wizard's hat or a riding spur.

• Vibrant Bi-Colored Look: The flower features 5 rich, deep purple-blue outer segments that look like petals but are actually specialized sepals. The true petals are smaller and nestled right in the center, often displaying a lighter whitish or light blue hue with delicate purple veins.

• Slender Growth Habit: This is a relatively low-to-mid stature larkspur compared to the towering forest varieties. It shoots up a slender, smooth, mostly unbranched green stem standing roughly 8 to 20 inches tall.

• Deeply Left Foliage: Though hidden here by the dense surrounding meadow growth, the leaves at the base of the stem are circular in outline but deeply divided into narrow, finger-like, radiating lobes.

Notable Significance

• Toxicity Warning: Like all members of the genus Delphinium, the entire plant contains potent diterpene alkaloids (such as delphinine). It is highly toxic if ingested, acting as a significant hazard for grazing livestock (especially cattle) in open mountain pastures.

• Bumblebee and Hummingbird Magnet: The hidden nectar at the very back of the long spur is highly prized by long-tongued pollinators. Large native bumblebees and migrating hummingbirds are perfectly built to probe the depth of the spur, cross-pollinating the flower in the process.

• The "Delphinium" Name: The genus name comes from the Greek word delphis (dolphin), a reference to the classical botanical observation that the unopened flower buds look remarkably like swimming dolphins.

Locations Found

• Habitat: Exceptionally fond of bright, seasonally moist but well-drained habitats. It populates vernally wet mountain meadows, grassy forest openings, gravelly flats, and the edges of stream banks.

• Elevation Range: A widespread western native that thrives beautifully in the montane and subalpine zones of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges, typically between 3,000 and 10,000 feet. It is a frequent early-to-mid summer delight across the Lassen foothills.