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Cliff Larkspur · Delphinium menziesii

Description: This perennial has racemes of three to fifteen showy blue to purple flowers which bloom from single stems, 4 to 20 inches tall, from April to July. A single 1/2" spur containing nectar projects beneath each flower. Leaves are round and deeply dissected into many lobes. In the wild, this beauty grows in bluffs and meadows west of the Cascade mountains. Give it a site with full to part sun and regular water. Kruckeberg remarks "It is when we venture into species Delphinium from North America and Eurasia that a treasure of garden beauty is revealed." (Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest, Arthur Kruckeberg, University of Washington Press) Provides nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies.

The Lewis and Clark expedition collected a specimen of cliff larkspur on April 14, 1806, near present-day White Salmon, Washington.