Delphinium tricorne (Dwarf Larkspur)

Delphinium tricorne

Delphinium tricorne Michx.

Dwarf Larkspur

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Magnoliidae	Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others
Order	Ranunculales	Basal (evolved earlier) eudicots, also called “true dicots”
Family	Ranunculaceae	Buttercup family
Genus	Delphinium	From Greek delphinion, “larkspur”; the name is derived from the Greek for “dolphin” because of the shape of some flowers
Species	tricorne

About plant names...

Dwarf larkspurs are North American natives.

Identification: Plants are 6-24" (15-60 cm) tall. Leaves near the base are on long stems, arranged loosely, up to 5" (12 cm), and deeply subdivided, somewhat palmlike in appearance. A single stem has a few alternate leaves, and is topped by a cluster of deep blue or violet or white flowers up to 6" (15 cm) tall. The attractive flowers have a spur about ¾" (2 cm) long behind them, opening into five petals. They appear from April to May. Fruits resemble groups of three tiny bean pods, each about 1" (2.5 cm) × ⅛" (5 mm).

Edibility: Poisonous Skull & Crossbones Very poisonous to cattle because of alkaloids that act as neuromuscular blocking agents; probably also poisonous to people.