At Floom we’re all about giving, so this July we’re giving you two flowers of the month for the (virtual) price of one… Don’t ever say we don’t treat you. Introducing larkspur and delphinium (the birth month flower for July). And no, before you ask, they aren’t the same stem…
![Delphinium Blue](https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-blue.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=38ef912b1390eff1ac54e3a8d9257d98 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-blue.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=05ad96fd0b999675a903437e8bc13840 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-blue.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=4ab142d6c5449adf68bafb7c776d1019 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-blue.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=b10457e1e9c6095c8904c89066bba8f0 400w)
You’d be forgiven for thinking that was the case though. To look at, both larkspur and delphinium have trumpet-shaped flowers with a front collar of five single or double sepals and a long, tapered funnel in the back, right? But despite being frequently mislabeled and confused for each other – even by us experts – there are some notable differences between the two which caused the botanical powers that be to reclassify the larkspur from the genus Delphinium to Consolida last year.
![Delphinium Larkspur](https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-larkspur.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=40db5abbb11b892ccad1f05e04eaae80 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-larkspur.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=f4ba9d55991caf8d8a7fc699c886a5ca 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-larkspur.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=2376e8d102e9852f9b3dcaca3a050b6a 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-larkspur.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=06ad9c61307c841f7bf5fe5472745dc9 400w)
So, what is the actual difference? While closely related to the better-known delphinium, the consolida differs most noticeably in the structure of its flowers: open, loosely-arranged spikes of petals replace the dense column of flowers found in a delphinium. But perhaps the most apparent is colour. While the palette of delphinium is predominantly blue and white, larkspur come in a wide array of colours. Aren’t you happy we got that clarified?
Delphinium take their name, in part, from the Greek word for ‘dolphin.’ It’s yet another sweet example of tenuous comparisons between the shape of a flower and an exotic animal (refer back to previous FOTMs the Snapdragon and Snake’s Head Fritillary, you know you want to). Supposedly the shape of the spur, formed by five petal-like sepals, resembles the back of a dolphin as it crests the waves. Meanwhile, the larkspur are said to resemble a lark’s foot with its long, curving back spur… while a Native American legend – a nice change from all the dysfunctional goings-on amongst the Greek gods – states that the larkspur got its name from a celestial being who descended from heaven via a long spike made out of pieces of parted sky. As he climbed down, the sun dried out the spike and it scattered in pieces once more in the wind. Wherever those pieces of sky touched the earth, great larkspur flowers would burst forth.
![Delphinium Pink 1](https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-pink-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=0fdbe8b2bfbbc1e2dd18d6f903c9a853 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-pink-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=783cfdd9561b321385ed6f0fdc11fdc7 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-pink-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=a442716028c18470e779011e44cc5748 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-pink-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=7340b7a188dfd7ea23ce546a5c6a792e 400w)
![Delphinium Pink 2](https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-pink-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=dd1bcb5138f2f172352cf1103d061893 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-pink-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=c1e7855fd0a8c036c7633e711f46f06b 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-pink-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=7cb65bd9c12044d9cd5a3e1b0c2d5dd6 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/delphinium-pink-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=b78ac1028791fd185e4f8fb6f7ba4990 400w)
We’re not completely sold on it either, but what we do know is that the town of Larkspur in Colorado was given its name by Elizabeth Hunt, wife of the governor, in 1871 because of the abundance of such flowers growing in the area. In fact, these largely alpine-dwelling stems are found throughout the northern hemisphere, and also high atop the mountains of tropical Africa.
![Larkspur Blue](https://floom.imgix.net/general/Larkspur-Blue.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=1a8510eaa3888675e630a22fc9a1253b 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Larkspur-Blue.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=15bfe8d465b20499e82cdf2cbe30874b 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Larkspur-Blue.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=2b9854552696352c24be125e5e41a939 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Larkspur-Blue.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=884d4633653c94bc11cf64578c5e94dd 400w)
![Larkspur Blue 2](https://floom.imgix.net/general/Larkspur-blue-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=590870d468b06b77c8dfdb09978dc9eb 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Larkspur-blue-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=0295de90aaeb924c4f370de1b1bbebc0 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Larkspur-blue-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=46c87e7e20efa975d64bffbf3bb91cf5 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Larkspur-blue-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=519af57e6fbf039a043e76f2e7b9eef8 400w)
And finally, the most unexpected larkspur fact: they are toxic to both humans and animals. Do not eat, we repeat, do not eat this stem! As part of the infamously toxic buttercup family, they secrete delphinine, an alkaloid similar to monkshood’s aconitine that’s dubbed the “the queen of poisons.” If you were to ingest such a stem it’s likely it could slow or stop your lungs and heart. But fortunately, neither larkspur nor delphinium have cropped up in any recipes to date (even in folk remedies) so we can live safe. Toxicity aside, larkspur and delphinium can add a real sprinkle of untamed beauty to a seasonal bouquet.