Larkspur Consolida orientalis

LATIN NAME: Consolida orientalis

COMMON NAME: Oriental Larkspur

The oriental larkspur feathers the tall spires with the bright, spurred flowers, the finely cut leaves below them, and the whole plant carries the fine, airy look of the sunny border. The hardy, annual herb carries the finely divided, feathery leaves along the erect, branched stems, and the blue, violet, pink or white flowers with the long, slender spurs, in the loose, elongated racemes, through the early summer, one of the airy, bright sights of the sunny border, drawing the bees, to be followed by the small, many-seeded follicles. The feathery growth has a very long record as the fine, cottage flowers of the old gardens, and the plant is a historic presence of the sunny border. It is a plant of the open, sunny, light, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The oriental larkspur is a historic subject of the plant science, and the spurred flowers keep showing up in the work on the annual border herbs. The way the blue, violet, pink or white flowers with the long, slender spurs form in the loose, elongated racemes has been studied closely, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the border herbs, the divided leaves and the members of the buttercup family. The feathery growth and the quick habit have also made it a fine study herb, and the oriental larkspur is a regular subject of the work on the spurred flowers of the temperate world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The oriental larkspur is an airy, useful plant of the sunny border and the study collection. The finely divided, feathery leaves along the erect, branched stems carry the airy look of the sunny border, one of the airy, bright sights of the sunny border, drawing the bees, and the feathery growth has a very long record as the fine, cottage flowers of the old gardens, the cut spikes coming to the vases and the steady trade of the florists, while the blue, violet, pink or white flowers with the long, slender spurs, in the loose, elongated racemes, open through the early summer, to be followed by the small, many-seeded follicles. It is one of the fine choices for the sunny border, the cutting garden and the study collection, and it has been written about in the horticultural and the floral papers for the spurred flowers and the very long history. It is an airy, useful plant of the open, sunny, light, well-drained garden.

The larkspur seeds prefer a fine, gritty compost kept cool and moist. The young plants are sturdy once they root, and they enjoy the light, well-drained ground of the sunny border.

To grow the oriental larkspur from seed, sow the small, dark seeds directly across the surface of the deep tray of fine, gritty compost, water gently, then keep the tray in a bright, cool spot. The seedlings appear within a couple of weeks, and they grow on steadily. With the sun and the light, well-drained ground, the spurred spires will rise over the summer.

Uses: Medicinal/Industrial/Poisonous

Stately early blooming garden annual and cut flower. White, pink and blue colours. All parts have insecticidal and action and were used by soldiers during the American Revolutionary war to kill body lice.