Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Delphinium glaucum is a species of larkspur known by the common names Sierra larkspur, mountain larkspur, and waxy pale larkspur. This wildflower is native to western North America from Arizona to Alaska. It grows in moist mountainous environments, such as riverbanks and meadows. This plant sprouts one to several tall, stout, pale green erect stems which may approach three meters in height. The lobed leaves are generally found only at the base of the plant. The top of the stem is a large flower cluster which may itself be over a meter long. It usually contains over fifty widely spaced flowers, with each flower on a pedicel a few centimeters long. The sepals are flat and extend to the sides or point forward. The sepals and petals are dark blue to deep purple, although the top two petals may be lighter in color to almost white. They may be somewhat wrinkly. The spur is about two centimeters long.

Plant type

Perennial herb

Size

3 - 8 ft Tall

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Fast

Calscape icon
Color

Purple, Blue

Flowering season

Spring

Sun

Deep Shade, Partial Shade

Soil description

Adaptable, tolerant of sand, loam and clay.

Sunset Zones

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Site type

Wet thickets, streamsides

Plant communities

Lodgepole Forest, Red Fir Forest, Subalpine Forest, Yellow Pine Forest, Wetland-Riparian

Hummingbirds
Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 2 likely

Confirmed Likely

Spotted Straw Sun Moth

Heliothis phloxiphaga

Bilobed Looper Moth

Megalographa biloba