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Delphinium staphisagria

Common name:	Stavesacre	Family:	Ranunculaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	All parts of the plant contain diterpene alkaloids and are highly toxic[4, 148, 238]. The plant is most toxic when it is young[200]. Ingestion of a lethal dose produces a feeling of excitement, followed by depression and extreme sensitivity of the nerves, followed by paralysis, a slowing of the pulse and finally death by asphyxia[232].
Range:	Europe - Mediterranean.
Habitat:	Field verges and in scrub, on hot dry soils[89]. Often found in poor soils[232].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Albarraz [E], Lause Rittersporn [E], Luiskruid [E], Mort Aux Pox [E], Paparraz [E], Staphia Agria [E], Stavesacre [H,E], Stephanskorn [E], Strafusaria [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ranunculales. Buttercup family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Denmark Europe France Germany Italy Netherlands Portugal Spain Turkey Us

Physical Characteristics

Biennial/Perennial growing to 1m. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in flower from May to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor 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

Antispasmodic Cathartic Emetic Homeopathy Odontalgic Sialagogue Vermifuge Warts.

Stavesacre is a very poisonous plant that is rarely used in modern herbal medicine[238]. The seed is antispasmodic, cathartic, emetic and vermifuge[4, 44]. The seeds cause a strong salivation if they are chewed and have been used in the treatment of toothache and other painful conditions of the throat and gums[232]. They are so strongly emetic and cathartic, however, that they are rarely used internally[4]. Externally, a decoction is used to treat itchy skin and parasites4]. The seed is very poisonous and should be used with great caution[4].
The plant has been used externally in the treatment of warts, lice and itches[232].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the seeds[232]. This is used in the treatment of a variety of ailments including toothache, injuries and headache[232].

Other Uses

Insecticide Parasiticide.

A parasiticide is obtained from the leaves[172]. It is quite toxic and so is for external use only.
The seed is used to make a potent insecticide, parasiticide and to destroy vermin[4, 61, 89, 100, 238]. It is used to kill head lice[238].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most soils and situations[4] but prefers a rich well-drained neutral to alkaline soil[4, 200, 238] and is intolerant of winter-wet soils[200]. Requires an open sunny position[188].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10° c[200].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[54].

Propagation

Seed - sow March in a cold frame or April outdoors. Keep moist and in a shady position until germination takes place[175]. Seed can also be sown either in a cold frame or in situ as soon as it is ripe in mid to late summer[175], though seedlings from the outdoor sowing can be killed in cold winters[K]. 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].

Suppliers

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

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic 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

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[44] Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. 1961
The standard work, in 3 volumes though only the first two are of interest to the plant project. Very good on habitats.

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

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[89] Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1
A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[148] Niebuhr. A. D. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America. 1970
A pleasant little book about Greek herbs.

[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.

[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.

[232] Castro. M. The Complete Homeopathy Handbook. Macmillan. London. 1990 ISBN 0-333-55581-3
A concise beginner's guide to the subject. Very readable.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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