Taxon Report

Delphinium hutchinsoniae Ewan

Hutchinson's larkspur

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Delphinium hutchinsoniae, commonly known as Hutchinson's larkspur, is a perennial herb in the Ranunculaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Broadleafed upland forest, Chaparral, Coastal prairie, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 0 to 427 meters. Delphinium hutchinsoniae is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Delphinium hutchinsoniae Ewan
Common Name:	Hutchinson's larkspur
Family:	Ranunculaceae
Element Code:	PDRAN0B0V0
USDA Plants Symbol:	DEHU
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Mar-Jun	Mar-Jun
Elevation:	0-427 (0-1400)
General Habitats:	Broadleafed upland forest, Chaparral, Coastal prairie, Coastal scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_UCSC; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	27
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	4
Good (B)	4
Fair (C)	7
Poor (D)	1
None (X)	2
Unknown (U)	9

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Monterey (MNT)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Sur (3612137), Cone Peak (3612114), Lopez Point (3612115), Monterey (3612158), Mt. Carmel (3612147), Partington Ridge (3612126), Pfeiffer Point (3612127), Point Sur (3612138), Soberanes Point (3612148), Spreckels (3612156)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	10
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	16	59 %
Road/trail construction/maint.	7	25%
Grazing	6	22%
Erosion/runoff	5	18%
Development	3	11%
Non-native plant impacts	3	11%
Other	2	7%
Biocides	2	7%
Foot traffic/trampling	2	7%
Over-collecting/poaching	1	3%
Improper burning regime	1	3%

Notes



Threatened by foot traffic, non-native plants, recreational activities, grazing and trampling. See Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 78:379 (1951) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 30 October 2025].