Larkspur is an annual flower grown from wild flower seed. It normally grows between 2 to 3 feet tall depending on soil fertility and moisture. It usually has 2 or 3 forking stems which are branched. The alternate leaves are sessile, palmately divided, and up to 3" long and across. Their lobes repeatedly subdivide into smaller lobes that are narrowly linear, providing the leaves with a lacy appearance. They are slightly pubescent and often have a silky appearance. The stems of Larkspur terminate into spike-like racemes of blue-violet flowers. Each Larkspur flower reaches approximately 2 inches in diameter and consists of 5 petal-like sepals, 4 petals, a single pistil, and some stamens with light blue anthers. The upper sepal forms a hood in front and an upward-curving spur in back about 1" long. The middle and lower sepals are well-rounded and spreading.
Larkspur blooms during the summer and lasts about 1 - 2 months. Each flower is replaced by a pod containing numerous small black wild flower seeds. These seeds are small enough to be dispersed by gusts of wind. The root system is a slender branching taproot. Larkspur, like many wild flowers, can reseed itself if wild flower seed is allowed to drop on the ground. Seed will lay dormant until temperatures and moisture are sufficient to cause germination.
Caution: The wild flower seeds and leaves of the Rocket Larkspur are poisonous if consumed.