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Scarlet Larkspur
Delphinium cardinale
  
About Scarlet Larkspur (Delphinium cardinale) 11 Nurseries Carry This Plant Delphinium cardinale is a species in the Ranunculaceae (Buttercup) family known by the common names Scarlet Larkspur. This wildflower is found primarily in the southern half of California and Baja California, where it grows on coastal and inland chaparral slopes. This tall larkspur grows on an erect stem which can exceed two meters in height. The basal leaves are divided into many narrow lobes. The top of the thin stem is occupied by many widely spaced flowers, each at the end of a pedicel several centimeters long. Each flower has scarlet red sepals which are generally curled forward into a bowl shape. The petals are also scarlet, except for the top two which are scarlet marked with bright yellow blotches. The flower may be 3 centimeters wide and the same in length, including the spur. This is a very showy plant when in bloom that works well at the back of a bed or among low chaparral shrubs. Due to its height and thin stem it may need support when in bloom. It will die back to the ground in late summer and should be kept dry, reemerging in spring if conditions have been suitable.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb

Size
Size
3 - 6.6 ft tall
1 - 2 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright

Dormancy
Dormancy
Summer Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
Red, Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
The flowers are major hummingbird attractants

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 4 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Never irrigate once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Best in rocky or sandy soil, but will tolerate richer soils. Often found on chert or shale talus slopes. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Hummingbird Gardens, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Works well with virtually any chaparral shrubs or subshrubs as long as they don't smother it; also various annuals, herbaceous perennials, geophytes, small cactus and succulents

Maintenance
Maintenance
Protect from snails and slugs

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment; .5 -1 mo. stratification or germination in darkness may improve results.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
7, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Relatively warm, dry coastal canyons, foothills and valleys from Montery County southward

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 9.7" - 44.9", Summer Precipitation: 0.17" - 2.33", Coldest Month: 39.6" - 55.7", Hottest Month: 64.5" - 80.7", Humidity: 0.88" - 32.40", Elevation: 40" - 6188"


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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