Taxon Report
Delphinium luteum Hellergolden larkspur |
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Taxon Summary
Delphinium luteum, commonly known as golden larkspur, is a perennial herb in the Ranunculaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Coastal prairie, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 0 to 100 meters. Delphinium luteum is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Delphinium luteum Heller |
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Common Name: |
golden larkspur |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Element Code: | PDRAN0B0Z0 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | DELU |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | perennial herb |
| Blooming Period: Mar-May | Mar-May |
| Elevation: | 0-100 (0-330) |
| General Habitats: | Chaparral, Coastal prairie, Coastal scrub |
| Microhabitat: | Rocky |
| Microhabitat Details: |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 1B.1 |
| Global Rank: | G1 |
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State Rank: |
S1 |
| State List: | CR |
| Fed List: | FE |
| Other Status: | SB_UCBG |
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CRPR Changes: |
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Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 11 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 1 |
| Good (B) | 0 |
| Fair (C) | 2 |
| Poor (D) | 1 |
| None (X) | 3 |
| Unknown (U) | 4 |
| California Endemic: True | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| Marin (MRN), Sonoma (SON) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
| Bodega Head (3812331), Camp Meeker (3812248), Petaluma (3812226), Sebastopol (3812247)*, Tomales (3812228), Valley Ford (3812238) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 8 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 5 | 45 % | |
| Grazing | 2 | 18% |
| Improper burning regime | 1 | 9% |
| Non-native plant impacts | 1 | 9% |
| Other | 1 | 9% |
| Road/trail construction/maint. | 1 | 9% |
| Agriculture | 1 | 9% |
| Development | 1 | 9% |
| Erosion/runoff | 1 | 9% |
Notes
| Plants from MRN Co. are apparently not hybrids with D. decorum ssp. decorum; hybridizes with D. nudicaule. Threatened by development, grazing, and road maintenance. Possibly threatened by horticultural collecting. See Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 2:68-69 (1903) for original description, and Conservation Biology 15(6):1608-1618 (2001) for information on origin. |
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Threats: |
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Taxonomy: |
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].