British Plants and Flowers – Larkspur

Name – According to Greek mythology, larkspur flowers came from the blood of the hero Ajax who killed himself after he could not obtain the magical armour of dead Achilles. For this reasons larkspur is often known as 'the knight's spur’.

Description - Consolida is a genus of around forty annual flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to western Europe through the Mediterranean region east to central Asia. The common name, larkspur, is shared with the closely related genus Delphinium and the two are often confused, but Consolida differs from Delphinium in the flower structure, with the flowers in an open, loose, often branched spike, rather than the dense column of flowers found in Delphinium.

Origin - Larkspur need full sun to light shade, and rich well-drained soil. They also want ample moisture, but will rot if the soil is soggy, it’s worth noting that as a Northern European plant, the native Larkspur likes cool weather and tends to die out when temperatures regularly go over 20 degrees. They also resent transplanting, so avoid moving plants unless absolutely necessary. Larkspur once had a strong reputation for its ability to heal wounds but this may come from the doctrine of signatures which says a plant is good treatment for what it looks like, therefore something resembling spurs would get used on warlike injuries! But it’s still true that the juice from the leaves is considered to be a remedy for piles and a tincture of the seed is applied externally to kill lice in the hair. Be aware that the whole plant is very poisonous and it should not be used internally without the guidance of an expert.

British plant larkspur photograph by cogdogblog, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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