Cooler Tour: January 1-29-2018

Delphinium is a genus of about 300 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native throughout the Northern Hemisphere and also on the high mountains of tropical Africa.^[1]

All members of the Delphinium genus are toxic to humans and livestock.^[2] The common name “larkspur” is shared between perennial Delphinium species and annual species of the genus Consolida.^[3] Molecular data show that Consolida, as well as another segregate genus, Aconitella, are both embedded in Delphinium.^[4]

The genus name Delphinium derives from the ancient greek word δελφίνιον (delphínion), meaning “larkspur”.^[5][6]. The name “delphinium” also derives from the Latin for “dolphin”, referring to the shape of the nectary.