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Delphinium elatum

Common name:		Family:	Ranunculaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	200, 266
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	All parts of the plant are toxic[65, 172]. The plant is most toxic when it is young[200].
Range:	E. Asia - Western Himalayas from Kashmir to Kumaon.
Habitat:	Temperate areas from 3000 - 3600 metres[240]. Grassy slopes at elevations of 1900 - 2100 metres in Tibet[266]..
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	D. tiroliense[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Candle Larkspur [P,B],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	elatum = high
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ranunculales. Buttercup family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Europe

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 3. It is in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Anthelmintic Aperient Diuretic Emetic.

The whole plant, but especially the seeds, is anthelmintic, aperient, diuretic and emetic[240].

Other Uses

The seed contains 1.7% alkaloids and is used as an insecticide[240].

Cultivation details

Prefers a rich well-drained soil that stays moist in the summer[111, 187]. Dislikes water-logged soils[200], it is liable to die out in heavy soils over winter[111]. Requires an open sunny position[188].
This species is the main parent of the many tall hybrid forms of delphiniums that are commonly grown as garden ornamentals[200].
A variable species in the wild, varying in height from 40cm to 2 metres[200].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[54].

Propagation

Seed - sow March/April in a cold frame or May outdoors[111]. Keep moist and in a shady position until germination takes place[175]. The seed has a limited viability so it should be stored in a sealed container at about 3° c[200]. Temperatures above 15° c inhibit germination[175]. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 9 weeks at 15° c[175]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Cuttings of basal shoots in April/May, taken before they become hollow at the base, and planted in a cold frame[111].
Division in spring[111] or early autumn[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Ranunculaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[54] Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977 ISBN 0-584-10141-4
Interesting reading.

[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[175] Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Corydalis spp.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Delphinium+elatum
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Delphinium+elatum

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