Red Larkspur

Delphinium nudicaule, known by the common names canyon larkspur, red larkspur, orange larkspur, and canyon delphinium, is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is native to low-elevation canyons and slopes, foothills, and mountain ranges of California, US, from the Sierra Nevada to the California Coast Ranges, and of Oregon. It grows below 6,500 feet (2,000 m).^[1]

The plant sends up thin and long 1–2 feet (0.30–0.61 m) stems with finely dissected leaves.^[1] It bears attractive larkspur flowers in shades of red and orange that are generally pollinated by hummingbirds.^[1][2] D. nudicaule readily hybridizes with several other species of Delphinium.^[2]

Uses

The root of Delphinium nudicaule has been historically used as a medicinal narcotic, chiefly by the Mendocino Native Americans of the Yuki tribe. The Concow tribe called the plant sō-ma’ in the Konkow language, and sō-ma’ yem (root).^[3][4]

Phytochemistry

The first phytochemical study of this plant was carried out by Michael Benn and Palaniappan Kulanthaivel at the University of Calgary in Canada.^[5] These researchers reported the presence of a number of diterpenoid alkaloids: hetisine, 2-dehydrohetisine, 6-deoxydelcorine, dictyocarpine, dihydrogadesine, methyllycaconitine, lycoctonine, takaosamine, nudicaulamine, nudicauline, and nudicaulidine.

The presence of these alkaloids in D. nudicaule implies that the plant is likely to be quite poisonous. The LD₅₀ for MLA is ~5 mg/kg, i.v., in the mouse, and the LD₅₀ for nudicauline is ~3 mg/kg, i.v., in the mouse.^[6]

References